12:03pm: The deal is official, the team announced. Utah plays four games over the next 10 days.
8:16am: The Jazz will sign former Nuggets point guard Erick Green to a 10-day contract, league sources tell Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. The move will compensate for the loss of Raul Neto, who suffered a concussion in Monday’s game. Utah has an open roster spot following the expiration of J.J. O’Brien‘s 10-day contract Monday, so no corresponding move is necessary.
Green has been impressive since joining the D-League affiliate of the Kings in November. The 24-year-old has averaged 26.7 points, 4.4 assists and 1.6 turnovers in 39.0 minutes per contest across 23 games. He’s also nailed 48.1% of his 154 3-point attempts, showing off a long-distance stroke that didn’t register in his time in the NBA with the Nuggets. Green is a 29.2% 3-point shooter in the NBA, though he’s attempted only 48 shots in limited playing time. The 46th overall pick from 2013 signed with Denver before last season after spending a year playing with Mens Sana Siena of Italy, but the Nuggets waived him in early November to sign Kostas Papanikolaou, who’s no longer with Denver.
The 10-day deal will be worth $49,709. Green already pocketed $100K from his partial guarantee with the Nuggets. It’s unclear how long Neto will be out, or whether the Jazz have any intention of keeping Green past the expiration of his 10-day if Neto returns to action quickly. Utah has shown reluctance to add to its point guard depth all season in the wake of Dante Exum‘s offseason injury, preferring to give significant minutes to a lineup with three wing players.
Should the Jazz keep Green even after Neto returns? Leave a comment to tell us.
Looks like Burke will be playing heavy minutes the next few games.
The decision on keeping Green may depend on whether they can trade for another point guard in the next 10 days.
Jazz won’t trade to upgrade the PG position. Not willing to let go of picks. And they’re not looking short term.