Latest On Raja Bell, Jazz Buyout

Since a report July 9th that Raja Bell had agreed to a buyout with the Jazz, negotiations hit a snag and the two sides still haven't finalized any parting of ways. Buyout discussions are continuing, Bell's agent Herb Rudoy recently told Shams Charania of RealGM.com, saying that reports that his client had rejected a proposal from the team are untrue.

Bell is set to make $3.48MM in the last year of a three-year contract this season, but he has clashed with Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin, whom he referred to as "unprofessional." Bell requested a trade back in May. Though he started 33 of the 34 contests in which he appeared, the veteran shooting guard saw just 23.4 minutes per game this past season, his fewest since 2002/03. He put up 6.4 points and 1.1 assists per game, also his lowest numbers since 2002/03. 

We heard in July that six other teams were interested in Bell, who turns 36 next week, but most of those clubs have probably moved on since then. It's unlikely he'd make nearly as much as he would in the final season of his contract with the Jazz, so it behooves Bell to get as much out of the buyout as he can. He expressed his admiration for former GM Kevin O'Connor earlier this summer, but O'Connor has since been promoted to executive vice president of basketball operations, with Dennis Lindsey taking his place as GM. Rudoy's comments to Charania indicate that Lindsey is now the person negotiating the buyout for the Jazz.

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