Jazz Notes: Roster, Williams-Goss, Expectations

The Jazz have been busy since Gordon Hayward opted to sign with the Celtics rather than returning to Utah, using their leftover cap room on a handful of smaller acquisitions rather than trying to land a single impact player. Last week, Utah agreed to sign Thabo Sefolosha, Ekpe Udoh, and Jonas Jerebko, and now a reported agreement with Royce O’Neale has also been confirmed by Jazz beat writers.

After finalizing those deals, the Jazz will have 16 players under contract for the 2017/18 season, meaning the club would likely end up having to cut someone who is owed some guaranteed money to get the regular season roster down to 15. That has created some trade speculation in Utah, but according to Jody Genessy of The Deseret News (Twitter link), the club’s recent moves aren’t setting up a potential deal. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Jazz won’t make a trade at some point before the regular season begins, but for now, nothing is on tap.

Here’s more on the Jazz:

• After reaching an agreement on a two-way contract with Eric Griffin, the Jazz are considering how to use their other two-way slot, and second-round pick Nigel Williams-Goss is a candidate, sources tell Genessy (Twitter link). It appears there will be no room on the 15-man roster for Williams-Goss, so a two-way contract would allow the team to keep a close eye on him while retaining his NBA rights.
• Despite losing their top scorer in free agency, the post-Hayward Jazz believe they’re capable of surprising in 2017/18, as Genessy details in a piece for The Deseret News. “We have a roster of young, talented and resilient players,” head coach Quin Snyder said. “I am confident that together we will accept this challenge while continuing to strive toward our goal of individual and collective improvement.”
• Unsurprisingly, the Jazz never considered embarking on a rebuild after losing Hayward, GM Dennis Lindsey tells Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune.