Utah Jazz Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Jazz Sign Second-Rounder Jared Butler

August 12th, 2021 at 5:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Jazz have signed guard Jared Butler, according to a team press release.

According to Priority Sports, Butler’s agency, it’s a two-year guaranteed deal (Twitter link). Utah used its full taxpayer mid-level exception on Rudy Gay, leaving just the minimum salary exception for Butler — that means he was limited to no more than two years at the minimum.

Butler was acquired from the Pelicans in a draft-night deal. It was folded into part of a larger three-team deal.

Butler was a key component for national champion Baylor, averaging 16.7 PPG, 4.8 APG, 3.3 RPG and 2.0 SPG while shooting 41.6% from 3-point range as a junior. He had 22 points and seven assists in the title game against Gonzaga and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

Conley Played Big Role In Recruiting Gay

August 11th, 2021 at 9:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Jazz are well above the luxury tax line after re-signing Mike Conley and adding Rudy Gay in free agency but they don’t plan on dumping any of their mid-salaried players to ease the burden, Zach Lowe of ESPN reports. Lowe names Joe Ingles ($12.4MM), Bojan Bogdanovic ($18.7MM) and Royce O’Neale ($8.8MM) as the type of players that the Jazz could look to dump if they wanted to get below the tax line or reduce the bill. There’s no indication any of them are going anywhere anytime soon.

Conley played a role in convincing Gay to leave the Spurs for the Jazz in free agency, Sarah Todd of The Deseret News writes. Conley said the front office urged him to recruit his former Memphis teammate. “I’ve done it little bit (before) but not at this capacity,” Conley said. “I was like putting babies down for bed and having to drop them and go take a call because I’m trying to make sure we lock up a guy like Rudy. … I was really locked in on that and it was fun.”

Jazz Re-Sign Trent Forrest To Two-Way Contract

August 11th, 2021 at 11:42am CST by Luke Adams

Trent Forrest is back under contract with the Jazz on a new two-way contract, according to the official transactions log at NBA.com.

Forrest, 23, initially signed a two-way deal with Utah last November after going undrafted out of Florida State. The 6’4″ guard appeared in 30 games for the team as a rookie, averaging 2.9 PPG, 1.5 APG, and 1.5 RPG in 10.1 minutes per contest.

Prior to free agency, the Jazz issued qualifying offers to both of their two-way players, Forrest and Jarrell Brantley. Because Brantley had spent two seasons on a two-way contract with Utah, his qualifying offer – which he accepted – was equivalent to a one-year, minimum-salary deal with a partial guarantee. Forrest’s was for another two-way deal, so it’s possible he just accepted that QO rather than negotiating a new two-way agreement.

As our two-way contract tracker shows, the Jazz still have one open two-way slot with Forrest back in the fold.

Northwest Notes: Conley, Jazz, Collison, Thunder, Wolves

August 10th, 2021 at 1:45pm CST by Arthur Hill

Now that Mike Conley‘s contract situation is worked out, he’s focused on helping the Jazz win a championship, writes John Coon of The Associated Press. Conley received interest from multiple teams before agreeing to a three-year, $68MM contract to stay in Utah.

“Last year had a disappointing end to it,” he said. “But all the strides we’ve made along the way allow us to come into this season still chasing that championship — that ultimate goal. And it’s something that’s truly attainable. Something we can grasp. We’re right there. We’re knocking on the door.”

Conley also addressed the hamstring issue that caused him to miss five of the six games in the second-round series with the Clippers, saying he’s making progress toward a full recovery.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

The Jazz haven’t historically been a popular destination for free agents, but that may be changing after the team’s success last season, per Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. In addition to keeping Conley, Utah was able to sign veteran free agents Rudy Gay and Hassan Whiteside. “A lot of really, really good teams were coming after me and wanted me to be there but I think this team was the team that had the most need for what I can do,” Gay said in his introductory press conference. “The culture, the ownership group is great, coach Quin (Snyder) is great. They really sold me on it.”
The Thunder announced in a press release on Tuesday that Nick Collison has been hired to the team’s front office, having been named a special assistant to general manager Sam Presti. According to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (Twitter link), Eric Maynor is also moving from the OKC Blue staff to the Thunder as a player development coach, while Anthony Morrow has been hired as a lifestyle services and engagement associate.
The $27.5MM+ trade exception the Thunder created in last fall’s Steven Adams trade has now expired. As Bobby Marks of ESPN (Instagram video) observes, it’s not a big loss for Oklahoma City, since the team can still create up to $32MM in cap room by renouncing the rest of its exceptions if it so chooses.
Incoming Timberwolves owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore continue to do the media rounds, speaking to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic about how their partnership with Glen Taylor will work for the next couple years, and talking to Shams Charania of Stadium (video link) about their commitment to Minnesota.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Western Contract Details: Gay, Conley, Graham, Nunn, SGA

August 8th, 2021 at 11:15am CST by Luke Adams

Originally reported as a two-year deal with a second-year player option, Rudy Gay‘s new contract with the Jazz actually covers three years, with a third-year player option, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). The full three-year value of the contract, which was officially announced on Friday, comes in at about $18.55MM.

Smith has details on several other newly-signed contracts from around the Western Conference, so let’s dive in and round up some of the highlights (all links are courtesy of Smith)…

Mike Conley‘s three-year deal with the Jazz includes some unlikely bonuses and has a partial guarantee on year three (Twitter link). The 2023/24 salary of $24.36MM is only guaranteed for $14.32MM.
Devonte’ Graham‘s four-year contract with the Pelicans starts at $11MM and features 5% annual raises (Twitter link). The fourth year salary of $12.65MM is only partially guaranteed for $2.85MM.
The Lakers used most of their taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Kendrick Nunn (Twitter link). His deal is worth $5MM in 2021/22, with a $5.25MM second-year player option.
The Mavericks used the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Reggie Bullock to a three-year deal worth slightly over $30MM (Twitter link). The contract, which includes a 5% trade bonus, is only guaranteed for $5.45MM (of $10.49MM) in the final year.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s five-year, maximum-salary extension with the Thunder includes a 15% trade kicker (Twitter link).

Jarrell Brantley Accepts Qualifying Offer From Jazz

August 8th, 2021 at 7:42am CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz have re-signed forward Jarrell Brantley, according to Paul Garcia of Project Spurs (Twitter link). Utah issued Brantley a qualifying offer last week to make him a restricted free agent and he has accepted that offer, tweets Tony Jones of The Athletic.

Because Brantley had spent two seasons on a two-way deal with the Jazz, he was eligible this summer for a one-year, minimum-salary qualifying offer that includes a modest partial guarantee.

In past seasons, that partial guarantee has been equivalent to the salary a two-way player would earn if he spent the entire season in the G League, which has been about $84K. This season, all two-way players will earn a salary in the neighborhood of $463K, even if they spend the entire season in the NBAGL, but there has been no indication the partial guarantee on QOs like Brantley’s has increased to reflect that change.

Brantley, 25, has seen limited action at the NBA level since joining the Jazz in 2019, appearing in just 37 total games and averaging 2.4 PPG and 1.3 RPG in 6.3 minutes per contest. The former No. 50 overall pick did have a big year for the Salt Lake City Stars in 2019/20, putting up 18.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 3.7 APG in 33 games (32.4 MPG) to earn All-NBAGL First Team honors.

While Brantley is back under contract with Utah for now, the small partial guarantee on his new deal means he’s probably not a lock for a regular season roster spot.

Jazz Sought Versatility In Free Agency; Butler Ruled Out For Summer League

August 7th, 2021 at 6:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Jazz were shopping for versatility in this year’s free agent market, per Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. General manager Justin Zanik said that’s what the team was lacking in the playoffs, which is why it pursued Rudy Gay and Hassan Whiteside, while trading for Eric Paschall and rookie Jared Butler. Zanik added that he’s likely done with significant moves for the offseason, and Walden points out that means Joe Ingles will probably remain with the team.
The Jazz won’t have Butler as part of their Summer League squad, Walden adds. The rookie had a health issue during the pre-draft process and hasn’t been in a contact setting for a long time. Zanik said management might have let him play if the games were “10 days later,” but they opted to be safe.

Warriors Trade Eric Paschall To Jazz

August 7th, 2021 at 12:52pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 7: The trade is official, the Warriors announced in a press release. As detailed below, the deal sends Paschall to Utah in exchange for the Grizzlies’ 2026 second-round pick, which the Jazz had just acquired in a separate deal. That pick reportedly has top-42 protection.

AUGUST 4: The Warriors have agreed to trade forward Eric Paschall to the Jazz in exchange for a future protected second-round pick, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). That pick will be Memphis’ 2026 second-rounder, with top-42 protection, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Paschall, 24, has spent his first two NBA seasons in Golden State after being selected with the 41st overall pick in the 2019 draft and has been a regular rotation player for the team during that time. In 100 career games with the Warriors, he has averaged 12.2 PPG and 4.0 RPG on .497/.301/.755 shooting in 23.5 minutes per contest.

After a strong rookie year, Paschall’s numbers dipped a little in 2020/21 and he missed a chunk of the season due to a hip injury. Slater suggested in May that the big man’s future with the organization might be “tenuous,” and it looks like he was right. The deal will open up a roster spot and should create a small amount of tax savings for the Warriors.

Paschall will get a chance for a fresh start in Utah, providing frontcourt depth and playing alongside his close friend Donovan Mitchell. The two players grew up together in Westchester County, New York.

Paschall is technically earning the veteran’s minimum this season, but he can’t be absorbed using the minimum-salary exception because his contract was a three-year deal. Since Utah isn’t sending out any salary in the deal, the team will use one of its trade exceptions to take on Paschall’s $1.78MM salary. The exception created in last year’s Tony Bradley trade still has $2MM+ left on it and will expire soon, making it the best fit.

Tony Jones of The Athletic first identified Paschall as a Jazz trade target on Monday.

Grizzlies Acquire No. 30 Pick Santi Aldama From Jazz

August 7th, 2021 at 12:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

AUGUST 7: The draft-night trade between the Jazz and Grizzlies is now complete, per a team release from Memphis. The two teams had to wait until the Grizzlies officially acquired the rights to No. 40 pick Jared Butler from New Orleans before they could officially complete this deal.

As detailed below, the final trade is the Grizzlies receiving Almada’s draft rights in exchange for the rights to Butler and two future second-round picks. Those second-rounders heading to Utah are Memphis’ own selections in 2022 and 2026, per Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (Twitter link).

JULY 29: The Jazz will send the 30th pick to the Grizzlies, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Memphis will select Loyola Maryland forward Santi Aldama, Woj adds (via Twitter).

Utah will receive the 40th pick and two future second-rounders in return, according to Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (Twitter link). The 40th pick was part of a trade with the Pelicans earlier this week that won’t become official until the moratorium ends.

The Grizzlies believed the Thunder were targeting Aldama in the second round, so they thought they had to trade up ahead of the 34-36 range to make sure he didn’t go to OKC, tweets Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated.

The 6’11” Aldama turned down an invitation to the combine and didn’t conduct any publicly-known workouts before the draft, notes Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Aldama said he preferred to play in his native Spain and discouraged teams from drafting him. That led many people around the league to believe he had a promise from somebody, and Memphis likely shut him down several months ago.

Mike Conley Returns To Jazz On Three-Year Contract

August 6th, 2021 at 7:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

AUGUST 6: Conley’s deal with the Jazz is now official, the team announced in a press release. General manager Justin Zanik said in a statement that the team is “excited” to bring Conley back and that he has made a “profound impact both on and off the court” during his time in Utah.

The team also officially announced its new deals with Rudy Gay and Hassan Whiteside.

AUGUST 2: The Jazz have reached an agreement with free agent point guard Mike Conley on a three-year contract, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

According to Charania, the deal is worth $68MM. Agents Steve Heumann and Jess Holtz of CAA Basketball told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski the contract is worth $72.5MM (Twitter link), suggesting that it could include incentives or bonuses.

A report surfaced over the weekend that Jazz were on track to lock up the veteran on a three-year deal. Bringing him back was Utah’s top offseason priority.

As a team with luxury tax concerns, the Jazz needed to shed salary to improve that situation and retain Conley. Utah made a deal to dump a contract last week, having traded Derrick Favors to Oklahoma City.

Conley, 33, struggled in his first year in Utah in 2019/20, but the longtime Grizzlies guard turned things around this past season, averaging 16.2 PPG, 6.0 APG, and 3.5 RPG with a .444/.412/.852 shooting line in 51 games (29.4 MPG). He earned his first All-Star appearance in his 14th NBA season.

Conley was forced to miss games during the postseason due to a hamstring injury, which led to a disappointing finish for a team that had the league’s best regular season record.