The Toronto Raptors and the Utah Jazz have agreed on a trade that would send power forward Steve Novak to the Jazz in exchange for Diante Garrett, as confirmed to the Deseret News.
The move makes real sense for the Jazz for one reason, Novak can really shoot the ball from the outside. That is the only really effective part of his game, and everyone knows it, including Novak. He can shoot it so well from beyond the arc (43.2 percent for his career), that he has managed to last eight seasons in the NBA on that one skill alone.
Novak is the true definition of a stretch 4 on the offensive end because all he wants to do is shoot the 3-point shot. In fact, Novak has attempted more than three times as many shots from beyond the arc (1,268 3-point attempts) as shots from inside it (368 2-point attempts), over the course of his career, according to Basketball-reference.com. He was at his best with the Knicks in 2011-12 when Novak led the league in 3-point percentage (47.2 percent on 5.2 attempts a game) while averaging a career-high 8.8 points a night.
While not a big-time producer, Novak can find time with the Jazz thanks to the skill set of most of their guards. Dante Exum, Alec Burks and Gordon Hayward (if he is re-signed) are all most effective when putting the ball on the floor and getting to the rim. That is where Novak fits in. He can space the floor and take away the opportunity for teams to double. That will also open up space on the block for Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter to go to work.
Novak won't get big minutes on the floor but should be a valuable piece on the second unit for the Jazz that really struggled to score a season ago.
Jay Yeomans is a courier by day and a freelance writer by night. He is the creator and lead writer of the website jmoneysports.com. Contact him at jmoney34@hotmail.com. Twitter: @jmoneysports