For the second day in a row, a former Boston Celtics player is on the move. Less than 24 hours after Tristan Thompson was included in the Domantas Sabonis blockbuster, veteran forward Juancho Hernangomez was sent packing for the second time over a 21-day span.
On the eve of the February 10 trade deadline, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Utah Jazz has acquired Hernangomez and wing Nickeil Alexander-Walker in a three-team trade with the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers. In the package, the Spurs receive guard Tomas Satoransky (via Portland) and a second-round pick by way of Utah, while Portland lands veteran marksman Joe Ingles, forward Elijah Hughes and a second-round selection (all via Utah).
The move ends Ingles’ nearly eight-year run in Utah. The club’s all-time leader in made 3-pointers, Ingles suffered a torn ACL in late January which will force him to miss the remainder of the 2021-22 season. To help fill the void left behind by Ingles, the Jazz bet on upside with the addition of Alexander-Walker. The 17th-overall selection in the 2019 NBA draft, Alexander-Walker is averaging 12.8 points and 2.8 assists per game this season.
Utah also saves $11 million luxury tax thanks to the deal, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
Hernangomez Traded for 5th Time Since 2020
Hernangomez, 26, was acquired by the Celtics this offseason from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Kris Dunn and Carsen Edwards. The hope for Boston was that Hernangomez could tap into his peak performance from 2019 when he averaged a career-best 12.9 points per game and shot 42.0% from three in a limited 14-game run with Minnesota. That, however, never came to fruition.
Despite making some noise early in the preseason for drawing a start over Al Horford in the C’s frontcourt, Hernangomez was never able to crack Ime Udoka’s rotation come the regular season. Prior to his trade to San Antonio in mid-January, the Spanish big man appeared in only 18 games with Boston this season, logging a total of 96 minutes. He did see his minutes per game nearly double during his short-stint with the Spurs, albeit up to only 10.2 per contest.
Now, on his fifth team in three seasons, Hernangomez will look to carve out a role in Utah’s frontcourt.
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Ingles to Return to Utah?
Just because Ingles has been dealt out of Utah, doesn’t mean he’s ruling out the possibility of returning to Salt Lake City in the near future. According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, the 34-year-old “would like to return” to the Jazz but will enter unrestricted free agency with an open mind this summer.
As far as Ingles potentially feeling some type of way for the Jazz opting to move him at the deadline, we wouldn’t bank on it. Here’s what Ingles told reporters one week prior to the trade going down, via MacMahon:
If I’m able to get someone back that would help them make a push for the end of the year, I understand that. I’m not going to sit here and be sour and upset. I’ve built my eight years here of hard work and in the community and all that stuff, but I’m very well aware of the business side and all that stuff.
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3-Team Trade Moves Ex-Celtics’ Offseason Addition: Report