AUGUST 13: The Jazz have officially re-signed Juzang, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.
JULY 12: The Jazz are re-signing restricted free agent Johnny Juzang to a four-year, $12MM contract, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
A 6’7″ wing who starred in college at UCLA, Juzang went undrafted in 2022 before signing a two-way deal with Utah. He has spent his first two NBA seasons on two-way contracts with the Jazz, appearing in a total of 38 games.
Juzang played in 20 games for the Jazz in 2023/24, averaging 7.2 PPG, 1.8 RPG and 1.2 APG on .464/.416/.714 shooting in 18.6 MPG. Nearly all of those statistics were accumulated in the last month-plus of the season, with Juzang only making three appearances before March 4.
In addition to his NBA minutes, Juzang has been a regular contributor for the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s NBA G League affiliate. In 33 Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Stars last season (31.9 MPG), the 23-year-old averaged 20.6 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 2.5 APG on .465/.369/.904 shooting.
Based on the reported terms, it sounds like Juzang will receive more than a minimum-salary contract. The Jazz currently have the most cap room in the NBA, so they can afford to hand out a long-term deal in the hope that Juzang becomes a rotation regular going forward. If that occurs, the contract will look team-friendly; if not, it’s still a relatively modest cap hit.
While the exact details have yet to be confirmed, Juzang’s new deal is unlikely to be guaranteed for all four years.
U…C…L…A
Boy can shoot
This is a huge success story! I know there are many success stories with Asian players, but there are tons of players who play Div 1 basketball and dont make it. For awhile it seemed he might not make it in pro, bur he has persevered after not getting drafted. 2 yrs of 2 way contracts and now $12m????? WOW! Comgrats to Juzang family. Now he can cintinue to improve and maybe he can get even bigger contract in 4 yrs.
It’s not a $12M contract from player’s point of view. Jazz have option on the last 3 years, their obligation is basically 1 yr at a minimum. It’s the kind a player when you can’t get a minimum anywhere else. ‘If you give a minimum this year, I’ll give you an option to pay me the minimum next year.’
I think they could get very good value here if they move older vets and give him PT. Clarkson, Sexton..
Cheap, fringe NBA talent. A perfect piece for the Jazz’s upcoming years of tanking and bottom-dwelling while ownership makes bank.
yeah, this was the dude ucla featured over jaquez. drove me crazy when they went to juzang when jaquez was the superior talent.
Jazz fans here showing they’ve been trained to love humiliation.
Happy for Johnny! Congrats!
Let’s see how many decades it takes for Ainge to get the JAZZ back to relevancy.
There’s no McHale to willingly be fleeced this time around