Revisiting Al Jefferson to the Utah Jazz

When Al Jefferson was traded from the Timberwolves to the Jazz last summer, it had to be hard for the T-Wolves fans to accept losing 17 points and 9 rebounds for not much more than nameless, faceless draft picks. Luckily, those pick eventually become players. Minnesota also received Kosta Koufos in the trade, who they eventually gave up in the Carmelo Anthony trade, getting Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry in return. Curry's contract was bought out before he saw the court, and Randolph played fairly well, averaging 11.7 points and 5.2 rebounds in 22 games.

The Timberwolves also received two first round picks in the trade. One was protected for 2011 so will likely become Utah's 2012 first round selection. Minnesota also received the 20th pick in the 2011 draft, which they used to select Lithuanian forward Donatas Motiejunas.

It is hard to pick a winner for this trade. The pieces the T-Wolves received are young and still have much to prove. Al Jefferson is a good player who is still young, so it definitely wasn't a bad trade for the Jazz.

EDIT: After drafting Donatas Motiejunas, it looks like he will be traded to the Rockets along with Jonny Flynn in exchange for pick #23, Brad Miller, and a future 1st round pick. Taking that into account, the T-Wolves could end up with three first round picks along with Brad Miller for the total price of Al Jefferson, Jonny Flynn, and Kosta Koufos. This combination of trades could turn out very good for the Timberwolves, pending their ability to make good picks moving forward.