People tend to rag on Jason Hart more than he deserves, in my opinion.
In case you haven’t heard, the Utah Jazz have traded Jason Hart to the Clippers for veteran point guard Brevin Knight, much to the delight of many Jazz fans. (Well, the Jason Hart leaving, at any rate. Most Jazz fans don’t know much about Brevin Knight unless they play Fantasy Basketball.)
With three point guards, the third point guard doesn’t usually get much playing time unless they can play some at the 2 or unless one of the other two point guards get injured. In some ways, a third point guard is more of a luxury item than a need — an insurance policy against something bad rather than a real asset to a team.
Jason Hart’s numbers are likely to improve dramatically in a move back to the Clippers. Ronnie Price was picked by Sloan to back up the little time that Deron Williams left for the the other point guards, and Jason Hart wasn’t likely going to crack that lineup.
In Brevin Knight, the Utah Jazz get one of the best deals for Fantasy players that you can get.
Um, er…
Actually, they get a nice steady backup who never turns the ball over while still getting a very high level of assists, usually in the top 10 in the league even though sometimes he doesn’t get much time. He is good enough that he frequently replaces slumping starting point guards because he just doesn’t make mistakes — ever.
In fact, year after year as Brevin Knight became a free agent and the Jazz did NOT pick him up, I had to question the Jazz brass. He is the PERFECT backup point guard, and he usually comes at a very reasonable price.
The Jazz aren’t necessarily looking to get older, so I’m not sure where Brevin figures in the Jazz’s long-term plans, but I think this is the perfect trade. I just wish the Jazz had pulled it off a few years earlier.
Perhaps they want a guy who can run an offense very effectively just in case Deron Williams comes back from the Olympics and ends up not being able to play the full season (as many guys who play professionally in the off-season do more often than not).
In Brevin Knight, they get just that.