2:12pm: The teams have entered into a one-to-one affiliation, the Jazz announced. It’s a hybrid partnership in which the Jazz will run the basketball operations while local ownership will have control over the business side.
“Partnering with the Idaho Stampede is another step forward in the growth and expansion of our basketball operations and will provide us with an opportunity to further enhance the development of our young players,” Jazz president Randy Rigby said. “Like the Jazz, the Stampede are a well-established franchise with a strong track record of success, and Boise’s proximity to Salt Lake and large contingent of Jazz fans make this the perfect fit. We look forward to working closely with [Stampede owner] Bill Ilett, [Stampede president and GM] Steve Brandes and the Stampede in our new single-affiliation partnership.”
8:23am: The Jazz will announce a D-League affiliation with the Idaho Stampede today, giving the teams a one-to-one partnership, writes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. The move has long been in the works, as Gino Pilato of D-League Digest was the first to report back in April that the partnership was a “strong possibility.”
Utah was one of five NBA teams sharing the Bakersfield Jam this year, and the Jazz made just four assignments, as our log shows. That number stands to rise this coming season, since the Jazz won’t have to share the Stampede with any other teams. This won’t be the first time the Jazz and Stampede have worked together, as Genessy notes, but they’ve never had an exclusive partnership before.
The Stampede had a one-to-one affiliation with the Blazers this past season, but Portland bucked the trend and decided to go with a shared affiliate for 2014/15. The Fort Wayne Mad Ants are the only D-League team left without a one-to-one NBA affiliation, so the Blazers and 12 other NBA clubs are all in line to partner with the Mad Ants, unless the D-League quickly adds another team. The NBA and the D-League are reportedly considering a limit on the number of D-League assignments to help alleviate the logjam.