Jazz Notes: Peterson, Hinson, Bates, D. Ainge
Jazz guard Darryn Peterson faced some questions about his competitive desire from fans and the media due to the cramping issues that plagued his freshman season at Kansas, but people who know him best nearly universally describe the No. 2 overall pick as having a “killer” mentality on the court, writes Jason Batacao of The Salt Lake Tribune.
Part of the reason why Peterson was regarded as the preseason frontrunner to be selected with the top pick was because he outdueled AJ Dybantsa (who ended up going No. 1) and Cameron Boozer (No. 3) in high school. Peterson was renowned for his work ethic and professionalism as a senior at Prolific Prep in Napa, California, according to Batacao.
“It’s not going to be loud with Darryn, and it’s not going to be braggadocious behind the scenes,” said Prolific Prep head coach Ryan Bernardi. “In his mind he’s a killer, and he will have those games circled. Listen, we had AJ Dybantsa the year before, and Darryn’s work ethic, his impact on the game, his leadership … it blew AJ’s out of the water.”
Here’s more on the Jazz:
- Peterson’s assistant coach at Kansas, Kurtis Townsend, called Peterson the Jayhawks’ “bona fide leader” despite the uncertainty and drama that came with his injury absences, Batacao adds. Townsend believes Peterson will use the questions he faced leading up to the draft as motivation going forward. “I think it’s scary to think about what he’s going to be like three years from now,” Townsend told The Salt Lake Tribune. “He’s just going to keep getting better and better.”
- Within a story about Utah’s three two-way players — Blake Hinson, Trey Alexander and Tamar Bates — Sarah Todd of The Deseret News reports that Hinson has lost more than 20 pounds since the end of last season. “Blake’s had a great summer — he’s lost a bunch of weight,” Jazz assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski said. “He’s going to shoot a really good percentage, but it’s the other areas of the game that the conditioning improvement have allowed him to make an impact defensively. Just the way he moves offensively and defensively, he’s really taken a step forward.”
- According to Todd, the Jazz have been cautious with Bates during Summer League action because the former Missouri guard is still battling some soreness in his left foot. Bates spent most of last season on a two-way deal with Denver, but his rookie season was derailed in December when he underwent surgery to repair a fracture in his left foot. He was waived by the Nuggets in March and caught on with Utah earlier this month.
- Jazz CEO Danny Ainge will be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in October, per Dick Harmon of The Deseret News. Ainge’s former BYU teammates praised the ex-NBA guard and questioned why it took so long for him to receive the honor, Harmon writes.
Western Notes: Bassey, Nuggets, Jones, Alexander, Zion
Big man Charles Bassey appeared in just five games for the Warriors at the end of the 2025/26 regular season, but the club liked what it saw in those games from the 25-year-old, who averaged 10.7 points and 7.2 rebounds in 20.0 minutes per contest.
Now that he’s back on a new one-year contract, Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area takes a look at what Bassey is capable of bringing to Golden State in 2026/27. As Johnson outlines, although he projects to be the team’s third-string center behind Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis, Bassey has a different skill set than those veteran floor-spacers and could become an important insurance policy if Horford and/or Porzingis have to miss time for health reasons.
“Charles was great for us when he joined late in the season, bringing his ability to dive to the rim, put pressure on the rim, shot blocking, his presence defensively and rebounding – we love to have him back,” Warriors assistant and Summer League head coach Khalid Robinson said. “He does a lot of the things that we need, and he does them at a pretty high level.”
We have more from around the Western Conference:
- Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required) checks in on an oddly quiet Nuggets offseason, evaluating whether rumblings about the team being willing to operate in second-apron territory are legitimate or a smokescreen. For what it’s worth, Durando is skeptical that Denver’s front office would be happy to simply re-sign restricted free agents Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones and pay a massive luxury tax bill for a roster similar to the one that was eliminated in the first round of the 2026 playoffs.
- Having returned to the Nuggets on a one-year, minimum-salary contract, veteran point guard Tyus Jones has waived the implicit no-trade clause that his new deal would typically include, Hoops Rumors has learned. As a result, Denver won’t need Jones’ approval to trade him prior to the 2027 deadline.
- Jazz guard Trey Alexander, who was taken off the court on a stretcher on Monday night, appears to have have avoided a major injury. According to sideline reporter Vanessa Richardson (Twitter link), the team said the initial diagnosis for Alexander is a left rib contusion.
- Michael McCann of Sportico shares the latest update on the long-running legal saga between Zion Williamson and his former agent, Gina Ford of Prime Sports Marketing, who has been ordered to pay nearly $686K in attorney fees to the Pelicans forward.
Northwest Notes: Alexander, Bailey, Mitchell, Diallo, Kent
Jazz guard Trey Alexander, who recently signed a two-way contract with the team, was taken off the court on a stretcher in the fourth quarter of Monday’s night game vs. Chicago.
As a report from The Associated Press details, Alexander made contact with Bulls rookie Caleb Wilson during a drive to the basket and immediately began grabbing at his side or abdomen before falling to the floor in a great deal of pain. The Jazz have yet to provide any formal updates on Alexander’s status.
In other Jazz injury news, back spasms have been a recurring issue this month for second-year swingman Ace Bailey, notes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. After missing most of the Salt Lake City Summer League as a result of back spasms, Bailey sat out the first game of the Las Vegas Summer League last week and then left Sunday’s contest early.
“It’s a worry,” Jazz coach Steve Wojciechowski said after Sunday’s game. “He said he felt good this morning in shootaround, but (his back) was acting up during the game. He wasn’t moving great, so we decided (to) sit him.”
As Todd writes, it seems likely that the 19 minutes that Bailey played in the first game in Salt Lake City and his eight minutes on Sunday will make up the entirety of the 19-year-old’s 2026 Summer League run.
We have more from around the Northwest:
- Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell, who missed the last four games of the Western Conference finals due to a calf strain, said during a recent appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter (Twitter video link) that he’s “close to being back to 100 (percent).”
- Alpha Diallo‘s new deal with the Nuggets will give him his first opportunity to play NBA basketball, but it won’t be a financial boon. According to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com, Diallo is believe to be giving up about $2MM in net earning in 2026/27 by opting out of his deal with Dubai Basketball in order to sign a minimum-salary deal with Denver.
- In an interesting feature story, Quinn Postman of The Oregonian explores how former Texas forward Jayson Kent parlayed a local G League tryout into a two-way contract with the Trail Blazers. “He brings a world of intangibles,” Blazers summer league head coach Gilbert Abraham said of Kent. “He guards the ball. He’s a tremendous athlete, plays off closeouts exceptionally well, and he’s a super high character.”
Contract Details: Landale, Clarkson, Bassey, Lyles, Smart, More
Hawks center Jock Landale, Knicks guard Jordan Clarkson, and Warriors big man Charles Bassey waived the implicit no-trade clauses in their respective contracts, Hoops Rumors has learned.
A player who re-signs with his previous team on a one-year contract – or a two-year deal with a second-year player or team option – is typically awarded the right to veto a trade for the coming year. However, his team can ask him to waive that right as part of the agreement, and that was the case for Landale, Clarkson, and Bassey, who can all be traded freely at the 2027 deadline in February.
Landale’s one-year deal with the Hawks came in at $14.1MM, leaving Atlanta with less than $1MM left on its non-taxpayer mid-level exception. While Clarkson’s minimum-salary contract is fully guaranteed, Bassey’s features a $1.4MM partial guarantee, so he could be waived before the league-wide guarantee deadline in January without Golden State being on the hook for his full salary.
Here are a few more contract details from around the NBA:
- Trey Lyles‘ one-year, minimum-salary deal with the Timberwolves carries a partial guarantee of $1.5MM. The veteran forward will earn his full salary if he remains under contract through January 7. Meanwhile, Jaylen Clark‘s three-year, $10MM contract with Minnesota is fully guaranteed, with a first-year salary of $3,086,420.
- The Rockets used the full taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Marcus Smart to his two-year contract, Hoops Rumors has confirmed, which means Houston is currently hard-capped at the second tax apron instead of the first apron. The team isn’t in danger of hitting either threshold at this point — Yossi Gozlan of CapSheets.com has the Rockets nearly $11MM below the first apron.
- The new contracts for Bulls guard Norman Powell and Bucks forward Ousmane Dieng are worth slightly less than initially reported. Powell’s two-year deal comes in just over $44MM, with a guaranteed $21.5MM salary in 2026/27 and a $22.575MM team option for ’27/28. Dieng’s three-year contract has identical cap hits of $5.75MM for all three seasons, for a total of $17.25MM. Dieng’s final year is a team option, as previously reported.
- Jaxson Hayes and Josh Okogie received matching contracts with the Jazz, as both will earn guaranteed $6MM salaries in 2026/27 with second-year team options also worth $6MM. Jusuf Nurkic‘s two-year deal with Utah looks a little different — it has a descending structure ($11,458,333 in year one; $10,541,667 in year two) and is fully guaranteed.
Southeast Notes: Miller, Dybantsa, Peterson, Veesaar, Mitchell
The Hornets have been discussing a potential rookie scale extension with former No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller, head of basketball operations Jeff Peterson confirmed on Saturday (Twitter video link via Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer).
“I’ve had conversations with Brandon and his representation,” Peterson said. “They know that we want Brandon here for a very, very long time. I won’t get into particulars. Bottom line is we want Brandon Miller here for a very long time.”
Miller, who is extension-eligible until the day before the 2026/27 regular season begins in October, averaged 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 steal on .435/.383/.892 shooting splits in 65 games last season (30.3 minutes per game).
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- Although neither player shot the ball particularly well, AJ Dybantsa outdueled Darryn Peterson to lead the Wizards to a victory over the Jazz on Thursday at the Las Vegas Summer League, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Dybantsa was the first overall pick in last month’s draft, while Peterson was selected No. 2. Dybantsa looked the part of a leading man, says David Aldridge of The Athletic. “Everything felt normal,” Dybantsa said afterward. “I think my game kind of is built for the NBA — me getting in transition a lot, me getting downhill a lot, and me being able to make plays for my teammates.” The 19-year-old forward finished with a game-high 27 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.
- Hawks big man Henri Veesaar, the 52nd pick in the 2026 draft, had a slow start in the first two games during the Salt Lake City Summer League. However, he’s made a concerted effort to be more assertive over his past two contests, according to Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscriber link). “I feel like that kind of was me all the time in college as well,” said Veesaar, who recorded 14 points (on 5-of-8 shooting), six rebounds and a block in 19 minutes in Thursday’s win. “The physicality, I’m not running away from it. I like the contact. I don’t mind it at all. So just keeping that and being also aggressive, being able to kind of find myself in this offense and being a learning experience, kind of over the Summer League, trying to learn a new offense in a couple days. And I felt like after the first two games, I’ve really been able to kind of apply it.” The Estonian center has set some impressive screens this summer, Williams notes, something he works on with his coach, former NBA big man Sean May.
- Heat point guard Davion Mitchell is traveling to Greece later this month to work out with and get to know new teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Mitchell already had plans to attend a NBPA event in Spain next week, so he won’t have to travel far to begin the process of developing a rapport with the two-time MVP. “Immediately after I found out [about the trade], I got his number and I texted him,” Mitchell said this week in Las Vegas. “Obviously, during the summer, people will move around. So, I’ll just go where he’s at because I’m already going to be over there anyway.” Mitchell added that he’s been working on catch-and-shoot three-pointers and has lost weight this offseason in an effort to improve his mobility and conditioning on the defensive end.
Jazz Notes: Peterson, George, Summer League, Trade Exception
Although Darryn Peterson opted not to visit Utah to work out for the Jazz during the pre-draft process, he has made it clear since being selected second overall by the team last month that he’s embracing his new NBA home, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN. After several years of tanking, the Jazz appear ready to take a significant step forward in 2026/27 after acquiring Jaren Jackson Jr. at last season’s trade deadline and then drafting the former Kansas guard.
“What excites me the most is being able to be a part of the young core,” Peterson told ESPN. “It’s just a great basketball organization. I think everyone would agree with me, and we’ve kind of talked about it: It’s time to win. So, to be a part of that is like a dream come true for me.”
The Jazz believe Peterson and fourth-year guard Keyonte George have the potential to become one of the best backcourts in the NBA, according to MacMahon, who says head coach Will Hardy‘s plan is to have both players share the responsibilities of handling the ball and initiating the offense rather than labeling one of the two as the team’s “point guard.”
“I think it’s really exciting,” Hardy said. “It gives us some flexibility. It’s going to take a little bit of time for us to get the rhythm of it perfect. But they have a tremendous amount of potential together, both sides of the ball. We need to let them live in the environment together a little bit and try to see what they do. I’m going to try my best not to over-coach them early because there’s a lot that I can learn from watching them play off of each other.”
We have more on the Jazz:
- The NBA initially signed off on a plan to have George formally serve as an assistant coach for the Jazz’s Thursday game at the Las Vegas Summer League, but after reviewing the situation and “relying on precedent,” the league has reversed course, reports Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. Still, MacMahon writes that George has been a “constant” presence around the Summer League team so far, attending every practice and taking on a mentorship role with Peterson. “Every day, he’s been pushing me and telling me what he sees and telling me what I need to be better at in practice and games,” said Peterson, who already knew George through their mutual skills trainer Phil Beckner, MacMahon notes. “He’s going into year four now. So, I don’t know if that’s a vet or not, but to me, that’s a vet. He’s been here in the league four years, so he’s somebody I would definitely lean on throughout the season.”
- Ahead of the Jazz’s Thursday night showdown in Las Vegas against AJ Dybantsa and the Wizards, Jason Batacao of The Salt Lake Tribune explores what could be a brewing rivalry between the top two picks in this year’s draft.
- Although the Las Vegas Summer League hasn’t yet tipped off, fans got an early look at Peterson at the Salt Lake City Summer League and the No. 2 pick made a very strong first impression, racking up 53 points and 14 assists in just over 55 total minutes across his two outings. Peterson’s impressive performance headlines five SLC Summer League takeaways shared by Sam Foster of The Salt Lake Tribune.
- Walker Kessler‘s new four-year, $129.5MM contract with the Lakers has a starting salary of $30,108,821, Hoops Rumors has learned. That means the trade exception the Jazz generated as a result of their Kessler sign-and-trade deal is worth $15,054,411, half of that figure. We explain within our glossary entry on base year compensation why Utah’s trade exception in this case is worth 50% of Kessler’s salary instead of the full amount.
And-Ones: Fields, Project B, Butler, Summer League, Rozier
Former Hawks general manager Landry Fields has been hired to the run the men’s basketball division for Project B, a global startup basketball league on track to begin play next winter, according to reports from Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link) and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.
As previously reported, the league – which has secured commitments from several notable WNBA players – wants to bring in current and former NBA players, as well as top young prospects from outside the NBA for its developmental program. While no men’s basketball players have signed yet, Fields will be tasked with identifying global talent to join the league, Fischer says.
Project B, which intends to travel around Europe and Asia, has offered players equity in the league on top of their salaries, per Fischer and Vorkunov.
After being let go by the Hawks during the spring of 2025, Fields had been working since January as the president of league operations for Overtime Elite.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Former NBA guard Jared Butler, a 2021 second-round pick who appeared in 148 regular season games for four teams from 2021-25, has signed a two-year extension with Crvena Zvezda on the heels of a successful first season with the Serbian team, per a press release (Twitter link). The former Baylor star averaged 13.3 points and 3.7 assists in 19.8 minutes per game across 31 EuroLeague outings in 2025/26.
- Ben Golliver of ESPN identifies 30 players – one from each NBA team – to watch at the Las Vegas Summer League, while Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports one-ups him by singling out 50 players to watch in Vegas. Both lists are heavy on rookies, starting with the top four picks in the draft: Wizards forward AJ Dybantsa, Jazz guard Darryn Peterson, Grizzlies big man Cameron Boozer, and Bulls forward Caleb Wilson.
- Michael R. Sisak of The Associated Press shares an update on Terry Rozier‘s legal situation, writing that a U.S. district judge denied a request to modify the veteran guard’s bail conditions to allow him to practice and play with potential witnesses in his sports gambling case. Rozier’s attorneys have argued that the bail conditions essentially make it impossible for him to sign with an NBA team, though it seems pretty safe to assume no club would be willing to bring him aboard anyway unless he’s cleared of all charges. Rozier is accused of taking a bribe to leave a game early so that bettors could cash in on several “under” prop bets.
Jazz Bring Back Mo Bamba On Two-Year Deal
July 10: The Jazz have officially re-signed Bamba, per the NBA’s transaction log.
July 8: Mo Bamba will return to the Jazz on a two-year contract, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Bamba’s contract will carry a partial guarantee for the upcoming season and a team option for 2027/28, a source tells Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The 28-year-old center signed a pair of 10-day deals with Utah last season on February 26 and March 8, although the second contract was terminated after five days so the team could add Bez Mbeng. Bamba appeared in two games during that time, totaling 10 points, 20 rebounds, and two blocks in 38 minutes of action.
Assuming Bamba makes the regular season roster, he’ll be part of a center rotation that was depleted when the Jazz agreed to sign-and-trade Walker Kessler to the Lakers. The other big men on Utah’s roster are Jusuf Nurkic, who is expected to re-sign for two years, and former Laker Jaxson Hayes, who agreed to a two-year deal in free agency.
The Jazz will have 15 players with standard contracts when all the deals are finalized, with all three of their two-way slots currently filled.
Bamba’s career got off to a promising start in Orlando after being selected with the sixth pick in the 2018 draft, but he has bounced around the league after being traded to the Lakers midway through the 2022/23 season. He had brief stops with the Sixers, Clippers and Pelicans since then, and spent about a week with the Raptors last winter.
Bamba played part of last season with Utah’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars. He got into 10 games (five starts) and posted 16.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 26.6 minutes per night.
Northwest Notes: Gilgeous-Alexander, Bates, Mara, James
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was back in action on Friday for the first time since the Thunder‘s Game 7 loss to the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, scoring 26 points as Team Canada beat Puerto Rico 110-84 in their World Cup qualifying game.
Not only did the two-time MVP get to play in front of his home country’s rambunctious fan base, but he was also competing alongside his cousin, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, an experience he’s not taking for granted, according to Jeff Patterson of The Oklahoman.
“We’ve been through every like step of our basketball career together,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, “and to still be doing it at a high level together is an experience that it’s hard to put into words and has me breaking character middle of the game.”
Gilgeous-Alexander also spoke about Kawhi Leonard heading back to the Raptors, noting that Toronto’s fans would always show out for their team but that adding a player of Leonard’s caliber will only enhance their passion.
We have more from around the Northwest Division:
- Tamar Bates‘ new two-way contract with the Jazz covers two years, Keith Smith reports for Spotrac (Twitter link). The 23-year-old guard had a strong G League season in 2025/26, but has yet to make his NBA debut. Bates is currently on Utah’s Summer League roster, though he didn’t play in Saturday’s opener.
- There was a school of thought last month that the Thunder‘s lottery selection of 7’3″ center Aday Mara was influenced by how Victor Wembanyama performed against them in the playoffs. However, the belief that Mara was drafted with Wembanyama in mind does the rookie a disservice and isn’t why Oklahoma City valued him so highly, Joe Mussatto writes for The Oklahoman. “I don’t think you can centralize everything around one particular team,” general manager Sam Presti said. “If somebody was building their entire roster around Denver or Boston or us, they’d be disappointed because those teams weren’t there at the end.” Instead, Mussatto writes, it was Mara’s intersection of offensive feel and rim protection on defense that made him such a draw for the Thunder’s brain trust, as the big man shows the kind of high-level passing ability that the Thunder traditionally value.
- LeBron James‘ agent, Rich Paul, broke down James’ free agent options via a white board during a recent podcast. One of the teams included was the Timberwolves, though Paul’s comments about the Minnesota possibility centered more on what James could do for the team than what the team could do for James, Chris Hine writes for the Star Tribune. While that may be a hint that the Wolves are a long shot, their front office has shown a willingness to chase stars even when the odds are against them, so Hine says to expect them to continue their pursuit until LeBron tells them they’re out.
International Notes: Mykhailiuk, Markovic, Dёmin, Huertas, More
Jazz wing Svi Mykhailiuk has been thriving for the Ukranian national team during the July qualifying window for the 2027 FIBA World Cup, according to Eurohoops. During Sunday’s lopsided victory over Denmark, the 29-year-old guard/forward had 30 points (on 9-of-16 shooting), five assists, four rebounds, two steals and one block in just 23 minutes.
Mykhailiuk is coming off a solid season with Utah in which he averaged 9.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 50 games, including 41 starts (23.1 minutes per night). He posted an excellent shooting line of .478/.408/.893.
The terms of Mykhailiuk’s contract called for his $3.85MM salary for 2026/27 to become fully guaranteed if he remained under contract through June 30. The Jazz will hold a $4.025MM team option on him next summer.
Here are a few more notes related to international players:
- Shortly after signing a four-year standard contract with the Bucks, 2025 second-round pick Bogoljub Markovic impressed in Milwaukee’s summer league victory over Golden State on Saturday, per Eurohoops. The Serbian forward finished with 16 points (on 8-of-12 shooting), seven rebounds and three assists in 25 minutes. Russian guard Egor Dёmin, meanwhile, had a strong showing for the Nets in a three-point loss to Sacramento, recording 23 points (on 8-of-15 shooting) and seven rebounds in 24 minutes. Dёmin was the eighth overall pick in the 2025 draft.
- Longtime Brazilian point guard Marcelo Huertas, who spent two seasons with the Lakers from 2015-17, is returning to La Laguna Tenerife for an eighth consecutive season, the team announced in a press release. Despite being 43 years old, Huertas is coming off a very strong Liga ACB season in which he averaged 15.6 PPG, 5.6 APG and 2.6 RPG on .500/.405/.940 shooting in 29 games (23.4 MPG).
- Three-year NBA veteran Kostas Antetokounmpo has signed a three-year deal with Aris BC in Greece, according to an announcement from the team. The final season features a team option, sources tell Eurohoops. Antetokounmpo spent last season with Aris while on loan from Olympiacos. Aris also recently signed former NBA big man Khem Birch, who has spent the past two seasons with Fenerbahce.