In need of a veteran center to protect the paint, the New Orleans Pelicans have traded for Utah Jazz center Derrick Favors, according to multiple reports.

While terms of the trade are not yet available, Jazz beat writer Tony Jones reports the Pelicans will send Utah some kind of draft compensation.

Favors, the #3 overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft out of Georgia Tech, has one year left on his current contract. The 27 year old is set to make $17.65 million next season.

New Orleans had $18 million in cap space after agreeing to deals with JJ Redick and Nicolo Melli at the start of free agency on Sunday.

The Jazz needed to trade Favors to free up cap space after signing Bojan Bogdanovic to a four-year, $73 million deal.

Utah big man Rudy Gobert wished Favors the best on social media.

To see Gobert, an All-Star calibur player, compliment Favors on how much he helped him grow is a positive sign for the kind of positive impact he could have on prized Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson.

 

 

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