Upper Bowl Jazz Fan

Jazz trade Ronnie Brewer to the Memphis Grizzlies

// February 18th, 2010 // Player Profile, Trades

Today was the deadline for trades in the NBA and it was quite a busy day around the league.  One of the more minor trades (compared to everything else that happened) was Ronnie Brewer heading to the Memphis Grizzlies.  Who did the Jazz get in return?  Well…the better question is what did the Jazz get in return?  The Grizzlies gave the Jazz a conditional 1st round draft pick.  The first year the Jazz could exercise that pick is 2011 but it is top-14 protected.  Meaning that if the Grizzlies draw the 14th pick or better they retain it.  In 2012 it is top-12 protected.  In 2013 it is top-10 protected.  In 2014 and 2015 it is top-9 protected.  If it goes past then and the Jazz have not been able to use that pick (which is extremely unlikely) then the Jazz receive “cash considerations.”  The Jazz will almost certainly be able to use that pick in the coming years because the Grizzlies, as a team, have gotten better and better and should be in the runnings for the playoffs for the next few years which means their record won’t be bad enough to get that high of a pick.  Sounds like a heck of a deal right?  Do you think they could have thrown in a ’72 Datsun like when they traded Pau Gasol away?

Was it a salary dump?

Jazz fans everywhere are crying foul and calling it an outrage that Kevin O’Conner got rid of Ronnie Brewer in a “salary dump” and got nothing in return.  This is NOT the case…at least not the primary reason.  For the record, if this had truly been a salary dump the Jazz would have figured out a way to get rid of another $2-ish million dollars to get under the tax.  Remember, if the Jazz got under the tax, not only would they not pay the league the penalty, they would receive approximately $4.5 million from the league for being under the tax.  They did not do this, however, illustrating that this was not, primarily, a financial move.

Brewer is a restricted free agent this summer which means a team can make him an offer and if the Jazz (well, the Grizzlies now) don’t match it then Brewer can join that team.  I believe the Jazz organization had discussed it and decided that if Brewer were to be made an offer (which would have almost been a certainty) they would have decided not to match it.  Basically, they decided that they were willing to let him leave the team this summer.

That being said, if Brewer were to have left in the summer the Jazz would have received nothing in return.  So the Jazz were faced with a choice when Memphis made an offer.  ”Do we keep Brewer for the rest of the season and have him contribute to our success or do we let Brewer walk in the summer and get nothing out of it?”  As any Jazz fan knows, there are a lot of wings vying for playing time: Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer, CJ Miles, and Wesley Matthews.  So it’s not like if they traded him we would be left with a gaping hole at the 2/3 with no one to fill it.  So, the Jazz decided that getting something as opposed to nothing was the best move.  They had good reason too.

On Defense

On the plus side, Brewer is an above average defender with long arms and a knack for getting steals.  He’s not an elite defender but does a decent job against the Kobes and Wades of the NBA.  His defensive efficiency rating is better than average.  (more below)

On offense

I think he’s been a bit of a disappointment.  He leads the league for all shooting guards in field goal percentage but only because he gets the majority of his shots around the rim.

The league average for FG% around the rim is nearly 61% while Brewer posts a 65% average…which is great!  However, that’s the only area in which Ronnie Brewer shoots a good percentage.  In short range shots (less than 10 feet) Brewer shoots a putrid 27% compared to the league average of 44%.  In mid range shots (10-15 feet) Brewer shoots 27%, again, while the rest of the league averages 40%.  On long 2′s, Brewer records a better, but less than impressive, 35% which is still below the NBA average of 40%.  As a shooting guard he has never shot better than 30% from 3 (which is awful) and this year is the same.  Oh, and this year he is shooting 63% from the free throw line…I mentioned he’s a shooting guard right?

All those stats mean that Brewer is a poor shooting guard.  He is a phenomenal slashing and cutting guard.  However, last year in the playoffs, we saw the Lakers dare Ronnie B to shoot the ball from mid to long range and he came up short so often.  While he hurts defenses with his ability to cut to the rim and finish there he hurts the Jazz with his awful shooting.  Shouldn’t the Jazz demand a bit more out of, um, a shooting guard?  No one expects Fesenko to make mid to long range jumpers because he’s a post up player.

The Jazz, undoubtedly, looked at this same data, saw that over the 4 years he’s been with us that there hasn’t been much improvement (in fact, his shooting percentages have decrease mildly the last 2 years) and felt like it wasn’t worth it to keep Brewer for two or three times as much as he’s making this year.  His salary this year is $2.7 million dollars.  This summer, an offer of $5-7 million/year seems likely to be headed Brewer’s way.  If there was no luxury tax or salary issues with the Jazz I would imagine they would have been happy to keep him.  That is, of course, not the case and, while we might forget that, the Jazz are trying to make money in addition to winning a championship.

Now What?

Now there is more playing time available for our other wings, namely Wesley Matthews.  So, it’s been nearly 4 years and we bid Ronnie Brewer farewell.  He has been an integral member of the Jazz.  Many have complained that we shouldn’t be trading away a 3-year starter for so little but it comes down to this: is Ronnie Brewer a starting shooting guard on a championship team?  Sayonara Brewer!