The deal
Nuggets get: Forward Trey Lyles, 2017 No. 24 pick Tyler Lydon
Jazz get: Rights to 2017 No. 13 pick Donovan Mitchell
Denver Nuggets: C-
This is the rare trade down in the draft I don't particularly like. Based on my trade value chart for draft picks, a fair return for the move up from No. 24 to No. 13 would also include the No. 26 pick.
So the question here is whether Lyles would be worth the No. 26 pick, and I'm not sure he is after a disappointing sophomore season that saw him rate worse than replacement level. Lyles shot a dreadful 40.0 percent on 2-point attempts and slipped to 31.9 percent from 3-point range after shooting an impressive 38.3 percent as a rookie.
The Nuggets are surely counting on some regression to the mean, as well as growth from Lyles, who will turn 22 in November. (He's seven months younger than Justin Jackson, who was drafted with the 15th pick on Thursday.)
Even if Lyles does make strides, I don't love his fit alongside Nikola Jokic. Lyles doesn't supply enough of the athleticism or supplemental rim protection Denver should want alongside Jokic. At this point, I don't see much to recommend Lyles over Juan Hernangomez, whom the Nuggets drafted last year -- though they might see Hernangomez as more of a small forward than a power forward.
Utah Jazz: B
The Jazz know more about Lyles than anybody, and if the front office didn't think he could become a contributor on his rookie contract, that's a reasonable conclusion to make.
Mitchell will be an interesting fit in Utah. If Gordon Hayward returns and George Hill departs, I wonder if the Jazz would consider using him some at point guard because of their strong ball handlers on the wing (both Hayward and Rodney Hood). Mitchell's ability to defend point guards would be a strength of such lineups.