Trade Speculation Candidate: Jordan Farmar

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This post will be the first in a series that I will do highlighting potential trades involving Nets players who have a good chance of being dealt by this season’s trade deadline, which falls on March 15th. Today’s focus is point guard Jordan Farmar.


Since the Nets signed Farmar as a free agent from the Los Angeles Lakers two offseasons ago, he has emerged as a quality back-up point guard who could probably start for a few NBA teams. Farmar is good at leading the New Jersey offense and, so far this season, he has been prolific from 3-point range, shooting threes at a high 47 percent rate. However, the Nets would like to get rid of Jordan’s 2-yr, $8 million contract to clear out cap space to spend this offseason, hopefully on Deron Williams and Dwight Howard. Let’s take a look at three trade scenarios that would get rid of Farmar’s contract, improve the Nets team, and clear cap room for this offseason.

Trade #1- Nets trade Farmar and a 2012 2nd-round pick to the Milwaukee Bucks for SF Carlos Delfino
Obviously, this trade helps out with the Nets urgent need for a healthy and somewhat talented small forward as Delfino is a good all-around player who is known especially for his shot. Nets fans may know Delfino because he irrationally always performs well against New Jersey and it would be nice to not have to face him anymore on the opposing side. Another bonus is that his contract ends after this season so if Delfino just doesn’t work out in Avery Johnson’s offense, the team can just let him go and have his salary come off of the cap for this offseason.

Milwaukee would want to do this trade because Farmar is a total upgrade at back-up point guard for the Bucks. Right now, Shaun Livingston and Ben Udrih are Milwaukee’s current reserves at point guards. Livingston just isn’t the player he used to be after multiple injuries and he doesn’t provide much anymore on offense or defense. Udrih is actually a solid player (A good comparison would be Goran Dragic on Houston; both are lefties with really good shots, especially from three-point range) but his $6.925 million contract is one that Milwaukee wants to get rid of badly. Udrih will probably be amnestied after this season so Farmar would be the Bucks’ #1 back-up behind Brandon Jennings next season and he would help Milwaukee out a lot with scoring, which has been a major problem for that team the whole season.


Trade #2- Nets trade Farmar to the Milwaukee Bucks for SF Mike Dunleavy (Note: This trade can’t be done until March 1st) 
Like Delfino, Dunleavy would be a major upgrade at the small forward for the Nets. Dunleavy has missed a few games this year due to injury and has also sen his minutes shrink a little in his first season in Milwaukee. This is because the Bucks have a bit of a surplus at the swingman position which makes the veteran, but still productive, Dunleavy expendable and his defense and ability to score when needed would be great for the Nets. The only issue is that his contract is for two years which might infringe on New Jersey’s salary cap for this offseason.


Trade #3- Nets trade Farmar to the Memphis Grizzlies for SG O.J. Mayo and a 2012 2nd-round pick
A version of this move had been discussed earlier in the year between these two teams but negotiations seem to have faded since January. Mayo isn’t a small forward but the Nets have played with small line-ups the whole season and O.J. could fit in at the 3 for New Jersey, either in the starting line-up or on the bench. Mayo’s production, and playing time, have steeply fallen from his rookie season in 2008 (18.5 PPG to 11.9; 38.0 MPG to 26.1) until now, but he still is a dangerous player who can burst out for huge scoring performances every now and then. As a player who can make his own shot, O.J. could be a huge offensive boost for the Nets, a team that’s offense is very prone to long stretches of scoring issues which make it very hard to win games.

Much like he would with the Milwaukee Bucks, Jordan Farmar would be the best reserve point guard in Memphis over incumbent rookies Jeremy Pargo and Josh Selby. With Memphis, Farmar could anchor the second team and would help the Grizzlies’ bench which, other than Mayo, doesn’t really have any big-scorers. Immediately, Farmar would solidify the Memphis bench that has serious scoring issues.