Johnny Juzang Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Jazz Notes: Hendricks, Collins, Williams, G League

October 29th, 2024 at 7:56am CST by Luke Adams

The gruesome right leg injury that Jazz forward Taylor Hendricks suffered on Monday is expected to sideline him for the rest of the 2024/25 season, sources tell Tim MacMahon of ESPN. While Hendricks will undergo further testing on Tuesday, he was diagnosed on Monday night with a fractured right fibula and dislocated ankle.

“That’s hard to stomach,” head coach Will Hardy said of the injury. “He’s put in a lot of hard work. He’s a great kid, and so we’re really just trying to focus on him, his health, keeping him up, his spirits up as he begins the road of his recovery. But these are the moments in sports that suck.”

Hendricks, who will turn 21 next month, played sparingly as a rookie, especially in the first half of the season, finishing with 23 starts in 40 total outings. The Jazz had planned to increase his role and his responsibilities in his second year. The 6’9″ forward started each of Utah’s first three contests and averaged 26.6 minutes per night in his two full games, well above the 21.4 MPG he logged last season.

“This is far from over for him,” Hardy said, per MacMahon. “This is a pause button for Taylor. You can see [his work paying off] even in the early parts of this season. You can see the flashes, you can see where this could be going with him, and that’s a credit to him.”

I expect the Jazz to apply for a disabled player exception following Hendricks’ injury, but that exception would be worth just $2.92MM (half of his salary) and wouldn’t grant the team an extra roster spot, so its usefulness would be limited.

Here’s more on Hendricks and the Jazz:

Hendricks’ teammates were devastated to see him go down with such a significant injury, as Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune writes. “It’s just put me in an emotional state,” fellow 2023 first-rounder Keyonte George said. “That’s just my brother. I didn’t know him growing up, and then building a relationship with him over the year, he felt like family. I told him I loved him, told him I’m here for him, whatever he needs.” Third-year center Walker Kessler echoed that sentiment: “The biggest thing is just being there for him physically and checking up on him. Right now, he just needs a lot of support from a lot of people.”
Hendricks’ absence will leave an opening in the Jazz’s starting lineup and a significant gap in the rotation, according to Larsen, who considers in a separate story for The Salt Lake Tribune how the team might plug those holes. As Larsen writes, while John Collins is an obvious candidate to take Hendricks’ spot in the starting lineup, units that featured him, Lauri Markkanen, and Kessler weren’t effective last season. With that in mind, Larsen believes rookie forward Cody Williams might be the better option. While he expects Utah’s decision to come down to Collins vs. Williams, Larsen also mentions Brice Sensabaugh, Johnny Juzang, and Kyle Filipowski as longer-shot options for promotions to the starting five.
The Salt Lake City Stars have announced their training camp roster for the 2024/25 season (via Twitter). It includes a handful of players who were with Utah during training camp and the preseason, including Isaiah Wong, Taevion Kinsey, Max Abmas, and Justin Lewis.

Jazz Notes: Filipowski, Juzang, Cap Room, Samanic, Tshiebwe

August 13th, 2024 at 10:53am CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz didn’t use the second-round pick exception to sign No. 32 selection Kyle Filipowski. Instead, Utah dipped into its remaining cap room to give Filipowksi a four-year, $12MM contract that includes a $3MM first-year salary, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

By comparison, a “maximum” deal using the second-round exception would have been worth $9,062,682 over four years, with a $2,087,519 first-year salary.

Filipowski’s contract, which includes a flat $3MM cap hit across all four seasons, is fully guaranteed for the first two years, with a non-guaranteed salary in 2026/27 and a non-guaranteed team option for 2027/28, Hoops Rumors has learned. Filipowski will have to remain under contract through June 30, 2026 to ensure he receives his full ’26/27 salary.

As our chart of rookie scale salaries shows, The Jazz rookie will receive more guaranteed money in the next two seasons than the final eight picks of the first round.

We have more out of Utah:

Johnny Juzang‘s new four-year contract with the Jazz is worth a total of $11,425,252, with a first-year salary of $3,087,519 for 2024/25, Hoops Rumors has learned. The final three years of the deal are non-guaranteed, so if Utah were to waive Juzang next June, the club wouldn’t be on the hook for his remaining cap hits of approximately $2.84MM (2025/26), $2.71MM (’26/27), and $2.79MM (’27/28). Re-signing Juzang using his Early Bird rights pushed the Jazz slightly over the 2024/25 cap ($140.6MM) — they’re now carrying $141.6MM in player salaries.
According to RealGM’s transaction log, the team renounced Luka Samanic‘s free agent rights as part of its series of moves in recent days. Samanic signed a contract with Turkish club Fenerbahce earlier this month.
With Lauri Markkanen no longer a trade candidate for the 2024/25 season, oddsmakers are projecting the Jazz to win between 27-30 games, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (subscription required). That wouldn’t be enough wins to contend for a play-in spot, but may be too many to give the team a good shot at a top-four pick. With that in mind, Larsen considers what’s next for Utah, suggesting that the team could improve its odds in the 2025 draft lottery by giving significant playing time to young players and/or trading away veterans like John Collins and Jordan Clarkson, even if it’s not getting anything of value in return for those vets.
Oscar Tshiebwe‘s two-way contract with the Jazz is for one year, Hoops Rumors has learned, so the 24-year-old will be eligible for restricted free agency in 2025.

Jazz Re-Sign Johnny Juzang To Four-Year Contract

August 13th, 2024 at 7:34am CST by Rory Maher

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.

Northwest Notes: Clingan, Shannon, Juzang, Braun

July 14th, 2024 at 9:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Donovan Clingan didn’t do much offensively in his Trail Blazers Summer League debut but the former UConn center showed off his defensive prowess, Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report notes. Clingan had 13 rebounds and five blocks while altering numerous other San Antonio shots.

“I thought he was awesome,” Portland Summer League coach Jonah Herscu said. “I thought he protected the paint. His size really impacts the other team at the offensive end.”

The lottery pick was less impressed by his outing than his coach was.

“I feel like there were a couple shots around the rim that I could have contested better or blocked,” Clingan said. “There were some floaters they made that I’m not happy with. I wish I’d rebounded the ball a little bit better in the first half.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

Rookie Terrence Shannon Jr. isn’t guaranteed a rotation spot with the Timberwolves but he had a solid showing in his Summer League debut. Shannon, selected with the No.27 pick, played with force and physicality while racking up 25 points. “I was just proud of how he handled the game, managed it. He took great shots; he didn’t force anything,” Summer League coach Chris Hines told The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski. “But one of the things that I loved about him was he competed on defense.”
The Jazz‘s decision to offer restricted free agent Johnny Juzang a four-year contract shows that they are looking within the organization to round out the roster, Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune writes. There are better players on the free agent market than Juzang, Larsen notes, but the Jazz feel he can play a spot role. They filled Juzang’s two-way slot with Taevion Kinsey, who played last season for the G League Salt Lake City Stars.
Christian Braun is the logical successor to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — who left for Orlando as a free agent — as the Nuggets’ starting shooting guard, but he’s not taking that for granted, according to Bennett Durando of the Denver Post. “We have a lot of similarities, I think,” he said. “Defensively, kind of being pests. Offensively, we both fit alongside Nikola (Jokic). And it’s the reason we were brought in. I was brought in to play with those guys, and so was he. … I think I’m gonna do a great job the same way he did a great job. And I’m excited for that. I’m excited for the opportunity to, like I said, go out and earn it.”

QO Decisions: Jazz, Okeke, Pacers, Krejci, Celtics, More

June 29th, 2024 at 8:09pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz declined to issue qualifying offers to guard Kira Lewis or center Micah Potter ahead of Saturday’s deadline, reports Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter links). As a result, both players will be unrestricted free agents this summer rather than restricted.

Lewis, the 13th overall pick in the 2020 draft, didn’t establish himself as a rotation player during three-and-a-half seasons in New Orleans. He was traded from the Pelicans to the Pacers to the Raptors to the Jazz during the 2023/24 season, and played a limited role in Utah after arriving from Toronto as a salary-matching piece in the deal involving Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji. His qualifying offer would have been worth $7.74MM, so it comes as no surprise that it wasn’t tendered.

Potter also played sparingly for the Jazz last season while on a two-way contract, though he has shown some promise in the G League and is part of the U.S. Select Team that will scrimmage with Team USA ahead of the Olympics. His qualifying offer would’ve been for a partially guaranteed minimum-salary deal. According to Jones, a return to Utah is possible, though Potter may receive interest from other teams.

The only Jazz player eligible for restricted free agency who received a qualifying offer is guard Johnny Juzang, Jones reports (Twitter link). Since he has finished each of the past two seasons on a two-way contract with Utah, Juzang wasn’t eligible for another two-way qualifying offer, so his QO is for a partially guaranteed one-year minimum deal.

Here are more qualifying offer updates from around the NBA:

Former Magic first-round pick Chuma Okeke didn’t receive a qualifying offer that would’ve been worth about $7.4MM and will become an unrestricted free agent, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Okeke, 25, has played good defense since entering the league in 2020, but hasn’t contributed much offensively, averaging 6.3 points per game on .383/.318/.789 shooting in 189 career contests (20.3 MPG).
The Pacers have tendered qualifying offers to Obi Toppin ($7.74MM), Oscar Tshiebwe (two-way), and Quenton Jackson (two-way), according to a pair of stories from Tony East of SI.com. All three players will now be restricted free agents.
The Hawks have issued a two-way qualifying offer to guard Vit Krejci, making him a restricted free agent, a league source tells Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). Krejci is a candidate to negotiate a standard contract with Atlanta after finishing the 2023/24 season as a rotation player. He could also sign an offer sheet with another team, but the Hawks would have the right to match it.
After declining Neemias Queta‘s team option for 2023/24, the Celtics tendered him a qualifying offer, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Two-way player Drew Peterson also got a qualifying offer from Boston, but JD Davison didn’t, Smith adds. Queta’s QO will be worth approximately $2.37MM, while Peterson’s will be for another two-way contract.
The following players also received two-way qualifying offers, according to Smith: Lakers big man Colin Castleton (Twitter link), Bulls forward Adama Sanogo (Twitter link), Spurs wing David Duke (Twitter link), and former Warriors guard Nico Mannion (Twitter link), whose RFA rights continue to held by Golden State as he continues his career overseas. San Antonio issued a $2.7MM qualifying offer to big man Sandro Mamukelashvili too, making him a restricted free agent, tweets Smith.
The Clippers opted not to extend qualifying offers to two-way players Xavier Moon and Moussa Diabate, according to Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter links). The door isn’t closed on a new deal for either player, but it sounds like they’ll explore their options as unrestricted free agents, per Murray. The qualifying offers for Moon and Diabate would have been partially guaranteed minimum-salary offers, since they were ineligible for another two-way QO.
Neither Nate Hinton nor Jermaine Samuels received a two-way qualifying offer from the Rockets, tweets Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Both players will be unrestricted free agents.

Jazz Notes: Roster, Trade Market, Hendricks, Juzang

July 29th, 2023 at 10:47am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Jazz are one of the only teams in the league with 15 players signed to standard contracts and three players signed to two-way contracts, reaching the regular season roster limit. Regardless, don’t count Utah out from making additional moves before the season begins, writes The Salt Lake Tribune’s Andy Larsen. Larsen argues that while the roster is full, the balance of the team isn’t even.

According to Larsen, Utah’s most solid position groups are at the forward and center positions. With Lauri Markkanen in place at either forward position and Walker Kessler anchoring down the paint, there are few questions about Utah’s frontcourt.

However, the guard spots are more in question, in Larsen’s view. Kris Dunn, Collin Sexton, Talen Horton-Tucker and Ochai Agbaji all had bright moments last season, but would need to make major leaps to be full-time starters, while Jordan Clarkson is a proven commodity at this point, Larsen writes. Beyond that, the Jazz would be relying on rookie Keyonte George to step in right away and make an impact, which is a tall ask for an organization angling for a playoff spot.

That’s why Larsen believes the Jazz are going to be active in the trade market in the coming weeks and months. Miami guard Tyler Herro could be an option if the Heat trade for Damian Lillard and the Jazz help facilitate such a deal. Larsen also points to Zach LaVine, OG Anunoby and Isaiah Joe as potentially available options (of varying viability) to help lock down the shooting guard position. Larsen adds that available point guards are scarce, citing D’Angelo Russell (ineligible to be dealt until Dec. 15) and Kevin Porter Jr. as possible trade candidates.

Even though Larsen expects Utah to be active on the phones going forward, the best option may be for the Jazz to develop their young pieces and stay patient for a potential future available All-Star level player. According to Larsen, “the dream” for Utah is that Dallas star Luka Doncic eventually becomes available.

There’s more from the Jazz:

While George soaked up the spotlight on the Jazz’s summer league team, Utah’s No. 9 overall pick, Taylor Hendricks, sat out of summer league with a hamstring injury. Though Markkanen, John Collins and Kelly Olynyk project to take minutes at power forward, Hendricks is expected to see some time at the position and make an impact as a rookie. In the first of what will be a series of Q&A interviews with The Salt Lake Tribune’s Eric Walden (subscriber link), Hendricks discussed his injury, teammates and transition to the league. While Hendricks is making progress in his transition from college to the NBA, he says there are still some adjustments he’s getting used to. “I would say how the defenses are structured,” Hendricks said. “Because in college, there’s no defensive three-second rule, and then also, the spacing’s not as wide as [it is in] the NBA. So I would just say, it’s just different things you have to do on defense. But just watching [the games], I feel like I could thrive in that environment.”
Johnny Juzang re-signed with the Jazz on July 19, giving him a second year on a two-way contract in the organization. Sarah Todd of the Deseret News writes that the young wing is readying himself to prove doubters wrong this upcoming season. “I’ve got a lot to show everybody,” Juzang said. “Look, I mean, I’ve got a chip on my shoulder. I’ve always felt like I’m a great player and I’ve always worked super hard. But a lot of my career, I feel like I’ve been overlooked and even coming into the NBA and going undrafted, trust me, I don’t forget that.” Juzang averaged 4.8 points in 18 games last season for the Jazz and went on to average 17.8 points on better than 50% shooting from beyond the arc during this year’s Las Vegas Summer League.
In case you missed it, Markkanen is a player to watch as a strong candidate to receive a contract renegotiation and extension in 2024, as we explained earlier this week. Markkanen broke out for the Jazz last season, averaging 25.6 points and 8.6 rebounds and earning his first All-Star nod.

Jazz Re-Sign Johnny Juzang To Two-Way Contract

July 19th, 2023 at 9:23pm CST by Luke Adams

9:23pm: Juzang’s two-way deal is official, the Jazz announced.

12:36pm: The Jazz are re-signing free agent guard Johnny Juzang to another two-way contract, his agents Sam Goldfeder and Jordan Gertler tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

After going undrafted out of UCLA in 2022, Juzang signed a two-way deal with Utah and appeared in 18 NBA games as a rookie, averaging 4.8 points and 2.2 rebounds on .337/.328/.500 shooting in 12.9 minutes per night.

He saw more action and was more productive for the Salt Lake City Stars in the G League, recording 20.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 3.3 APG with a .429/.364/.907 shooting line in 17 regular season appearances (31.6 MPG) for the Jazz’s NBAGL affiliate.

The Jazz issued a two-way qualifying offer to Juzang last month, making him a restricted free agent, but withdrew that offer earlier in July in order to maximize their cap room. According to Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link), that was just a logistical move, as the team remained high on the 22-year-old and put another two-way offer on the table for him.

Juzang is accepting that offer after an impressive showing with Utah’s Summer League squad. He put up 17.8 PPG on 53.2% shooting (52.2% on threes) in just 23.8 MPG across four Vegas appearances.

Once Juzang is officially back under contract, the Jazz will have filled their three two-way contract slots. Micah Potter and Joey Hauser are also on two-way deals with the club.

Northwest Notes: Henderson, Billups, Towns, Juzang, Tyson

July 18th, 2023 at 5:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said that developing lottery pick Scoot Henderson into a top-level point guard is a “personal” project, he told The Athletic’s David Aldridge.

“It’s personal for me,” said Billups, the 2004 Finals MVP. “‘Cause I just remember myself being that dude, third pick in the draft. The expectations. I want to give Scoot what I needed at the time. I can do that. I’ve done everything he wants to do in this league. I struggled mightily early, which I don’t see that happening with him.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

The Timberwolves had some pre-draft discussions about a possible Karl-Anthony Towns trade, Ian Begley of SNY TV said on ESPN’s Zach Lowe podcast (hat tip to RealGM). “There were talks between the Timberwolves and other teams before the draft and Towns’ name came up,” Begley said. “I don’t know how aggressive the Timberwolves were with Towns, if at all.” Towns is entering the first year of his four-year super max extension.
Jazz summer league coach and developmental assistant Evan Bradds said he’s been pushing second-year swingman Johnny Juzang hard, Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune writes. Juzang had a high efficient 26-point outing in the team’s second Summer League game. “I want him to succeed, and I think over the [past] year, we were able to build a good relationship,” Bradds said. “I think if you ask him, he would want to be coached hard. So if you tell me you want me to coach hard, I’m gonna coach you hard, no matter what — when you’re good, when you’re bad. Even during the game, we get a little heated, and that’s OK, that’s part of it.” Juzang is an unrestricted free agent after the Jazz pulled their qualifying offer.
Second-round pick Hunter Tyson was a standout for the Nuggets in the Summer League, Matt Schubert of the Denver Post writes. Tyson averaged 20.8 points in five games and made half of his 3-point attempts. He also averaged 6.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists.

Northwest Notes: Henderson, Wallace, George, Juzang

July 9th, 2023 at 9:05am CST by Arthur Hill

After suffering a shoulder injury in his Summer League debut, Trail Blazers rookie Scoot Henderson will sit out Sunday’s game, tweets Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT. Although he will miss a marquee matchup with Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, Henderson is listed as day-to-day and still may return before the end of Summer League.

The dynamic guard told Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian that he strained his shoulder on a dunk attempt in Friday’s game against the Rockets. Overall, he was satisfied with his first performance against NBA players, which included 15 points, six assists and five rebounds in 21 minutes.

“I think I played pretty smooth,” Henderson said. “I know there are areas I definitely need to improve on. Just little things in my game where I think I can really perfect and master.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

The Thunder got to see their two draft picks in action for the first time on Saturday, writes Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. Cason Wallace wasn’t able to play in the Salt Lake City Summer League because his draft-night trade from the Mavericks hadn’t been processed, and Keyontae Johnson was sidelined with a strained hamstring. Both played well in a win over Dallas, and Wallace particularly impressed his teammates with a 20-point outing. “Great defender, great all-around player,” Chet Holmgren said. “I think he’s gonna fit in well with the other guys we have on this team. Great character, great kid, too. I’m glad we drafted him. It’s a good spot for him.”
Jazz guard Keyonte George is one of the early stars in Las Vegas with 33 points and 10 assists in his debut, per Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. The rookie out of Baylor has a lock screen on his phone with a graphic listing the concerns that scouts had about him as an NBA prospect. “I wake up every morning with this on my phone,” he said. “Each time I’m going into a game or I’m going into workout, that’s my main focus, each and every day, each and every game. Let’s take care of all this — take good shots, even if they’re not falling, just make sure we take great shots, play with the basketball … and that’s what I feel like I did tonight.”
The Jazz have withdrawn their qualifying offer to Johnny Juzang, making him an unrestricted free agent, according to RealGM’s transactions log.

Free Agent Rumors: Pacers, Strus, Brown, Kyrie, Westbrook, QOs

June 29th, 2023 at 11:47pm CST by Luke Adams

After reporting on Wednesday that the Pacers are “strongly weighing” a three-year offer worth upwards of $48MM for Max Strus, Marc Stein (Twitter links) cautions that the free agent wing shouldn’t be viewed as a slam dunk to end up in Indiana. While it seems likely that Strus will leave the Heat, there still appear to be multiple suitors in play for him, according to Stein.

Who might the Pacers pursue using their cap room if not Strus? Stein says Indiana has emerged as a team to watch in the Bruce Brown sweepstakes, joining the Lakers, Mavericks, and Nuggets, among others. Indiana will have the ability to offer either Strus or Brown more than the $12.4MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception that over-the-cap teams are limited to.

Here are a few more free agent rumors and notes from around the NBA:

In addition to the Suns, Kyrie Irving has the Lakers, Sixers, and Heat on his list of teams to meet with in free agency, sources tell Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Based on Rankin’s wording, the cap situations for those teams, and a report that cast doubts on whether Kyrie’s meeting with Phoenix will actually happen, it sounds like that list of meetings may be aspirational rather than set in stone.
Russell Westbrook won’t be in a rush to make a decision when free agency opens on Friday, so he’s unlikely to be one of the first players off the board, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic, adding that the former MVP isn’t a “dead set lock” to return to the Clippers.
Johnny Juzang of the Jazz and Julian Champagnie of the Spurs are among the players on two-way contracts who received qualifying offers by Thursday’s deadline, making them restricted free agents, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter links).