Utah Jazz Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Jazz To Allow Fans For Home Games

November 24th, 2020 at 2:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Jazz announced a plan to have a limited number of fans in Vivint Arena when the new season starts next month.

There will be a reduced seating capacity of 1,500 people in the lower bowl of the building, along with limited seating at the suite level. All seating will be socially distanced, and safety measures have been adopted throughout the arena in conjunction with the Utah Department of Health. No fans will be permitted at preseason games.

“The Jazz believe this is a responsible way to start the season from a public health and safety standpoint. Our intent is to increase the number of fans as the season unfolds in compliance with state guidelines,” said team president Jim Olson. “We want to reassure our guests that we are taking the utmost precautions to have a safe and enjoyable experience as they return. We are optimistic for the future and continue to closely monitor the public health situation with State of Utah, Salt Lake County, and Salt Lake City officials as well as the NBA.”

The team is partnering with Alsco to provide products that limit the spread of COVID-19, such as hand sanitizer dispensers, masks, gloves and hospital-grade cleaning solutions. Other safety measures will be adopted, such as mandatory face coverings, mobile entry and screening procedures at all entrances, plexiglass barriers and signs to remind fans of the need for social distancing.

Eastern Notes: Dellavedova, D’Antoni, Erman, Pistons

November 24th, 2020 at 11:32am CST by Arthur Hill

The Cavaliers are close to finalizing a deal to bring back Matthew Dellavedova for another season, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who reports that the veteran guard has agreed to the parameters of a one-year contract. The agreement will give Dellavedova $2.1MM for the upcoming season, along with a one-year Bird restriction and the option to veto any trade.

Dellavedova, 30, is expected to serve as a back-up point guard and a veteran leader on a youthful team. Fedor states that several other teams expressed interest, including the Lakers, but Dellavedova opted for Cleveland, where he has spent most of his seven-year NBA career.

The signing will give the Cavaliers 14 players under contract, and the final roster spot may not be filled right away, Fedor adds. The team will explore potential signings heading into training camp, but may opt for the flexibility of keeping a spot open.

There’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Mike D’Antoni considered retirement after leaving the Rockets following their playoff exit, writes Alex Schiffer of The Athletic. D’Antoni was convinced to keep coaching when he got an offer from the Nets to join the staff of first-time head coach Steve Nash, who orchestrated D’Antoni’s offense when they were together in Phoenix. “He’s going to make it easy for Steve,” said Warriors assistant Leandro Barbosa. “Mike is one of the best coaches that I ever played for. He’s also one of the best from an offensive standpoint. He knows a lot of plays, he knows a lot of tricks, I think he’s going to be awesome for Kyrie (Irving) and (Kevin) Durant.”
Darren Erman, who coached the Celtics’ G League affiliate last season, will join the Knicks as an assistant to Tom Thibodeau, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Erman spent four years as associate head coach with the Pelicans.
The Nuggets will receive $110K from the Pistons in the sign-and-trade that sent Jerami Grant to Detroit, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). The Pistons shipped $250K to the Jazz in the deal for Tony Bradley, Pincus adds (Twitter link).

Free Agent Rumors: Batum, Thomas, Mudiay, Ferrell, Briscoe

November 23rd, 2020 at 5:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Hornets plan to waive Nicolas Batum and use the stretch provision on his $27.1MM contract for the upcoming season in order to sign Gordon Hayward, unless they can figure out a sign-and-trade deal that would save them from stretching Batum.

Assuming he’s released, Batum shouldn’t have trouble finding a new home. His agent, Jeremy Medjana, told Basket Session that the Warriors, Jazz, Clippers, Bucks and Raptors are interested in signing him once he clears waivers (hat tip to Frank Urbina of HoopsHype). Batum, who has played for Charlotte the past five seasons, only appeared in 22 games last season.

Here are more free agency notes and rumors:

Former MVP candidate Isaiah Thomas said his latest hip procedure was a success and he’s eager to prove it, the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach reports. Thomas says he feels like his former self in workouts. “I was blowing by people,” he said. “I haven’t blown by anybody since I had a Celtics uniform on.” Thomas was waived after the Wizards traded him to the Clippers in February and remains unsigned.
Reserve point guards Emmanuel Mudiay and Yogi Ferrell are generating some interest on the free agent market, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets. Both players could likely be had for the veteran’s minimum.
Point guard Isaiah Briscoe hopes to return to the NBA, according to Hoops Rumors’ JD Shaw (Twitter link). Briscoe went undrafted out of Kentucky in 2017, but made it onto the Magic’s roster for the 2018/19 season. He spent the 2019/20 season in Poland playing for King Szczecin. In 39 games with Orlando, Briscoe averaged 3.5 PPG, 2.2 APG, and 1.9 RPG, across 14.3 MPG.

Alex Kirschenbaum contributed to this post.

Jazz Trade Ed Davis To Knicks

November 23rd, 2020 at 9:46am CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 23: The Jazz have issued a press release officially confirming that they’ve sent Davis and two future second-rounders to New York in exchange for cash considerations.

Now that the move is official, it clears the path for the Knicks to flip Davis to Minnesota in an agreed-upon deal with the Timberwolves.

NOVEMBER 19: The Jazz have reached an agreement to trade veteran big man Ed Davis to the Knicks, league sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). New York will also receive a pair of 2023 second-round pick in the deal, per Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Twitter link).

Davis, who signed a two-year, $9.8MM deal with the Jazz a year ago, didn’t end up being relied upon as a regular part of the club’s rotation. He appeared in just 28 contests, logging 10.8 MPG and establishing new career lows in PPG (1.8) and RPG (3.8).

Davis is owed a guaranteed $5MM salary for the 2020/21 season, so this is essentially a salary dump for the Jazz, who are hoping to re-sign Jordan Clarkson and maintain enough cap flexibility to utilize their full $9.3MM mid-level exception. The Knicks will have upwards of $40MM in cap room in free agency, so they’ll have no problem taking on Davis’ contract.

After acquiring the Pistons’ 2023 second-round in last night’s draft, the Knicks will pick up two more second-rounders for that draft in this swap. It seems the team’s focus on ’23 is no accident — Marc Berman of The New York Post suggested earlier today (via Twitter) that the Knicks “really love” the 2023 draft, which they believe will be the first without the one-and-done rule in place, allowing high-schoolers to enter.

Jazz Ship Tony Bradley, Saben Lee To Pistons

November 22nd, 2020 at 4:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

NOVEMBER 22: The Jazz have officially announced their deal with the Pistons, confirming in a press release that they received cash from the Pistons in exchange for Bradley and the rights to No. 38 pick Saben Lee. Detroit has already agreed to flip Bradley to Philadelphia in a separate deal.

NOVEMBER 18: The Jazz have agreed to trade center Tony Bradley and the No. 38 pick to the Pistons for cash considerations, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links).

Bradley, 22, appeared in 58 regular-season games last season, averaging 4.9 PPG and 4.6 RPG in 11.4 MPG. Bradley will be entering his fourth season after spending most of his first two seasons in the G League.

Bradley has a $3.54MM guaranteed contract for the upcoming season and could be a restricted free agent if Detroit extends a $5.277MM qualifying offer next offseason.

Utah’s motivation for the trade was to open more cap room and increase roster flexibility, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. The Jazz have made re-signing unrestricted free agent guard Jordan Clarkson a top priority.

[UPDATE: Jazz, Jordan Clarkson agree to four-year deal]

Detroit has been arguably the busiest team this week, with new GM Troy Weaver completely reshaping the roster by acquiring assets and adding young players. The Pistons made three first-round selections, via their own lottery pick and a pair of draft-night trades.

Northwest Notes: Favors, Adams, Nuggets, Murkey

November 22nd, 2020 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Even though he was a good fit in New Orleans, Derrick Favors missed playing for the Jazz, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. Favors spent more than eight seasons in Utah before being traded last summer to free up cap space, so he was thrilled to get the opportunity to return.

“The history behind everything that came with playing for the Jazz meant a lot to me,” said Favors, who agreed to a three-year deal Friday worth about $27MM. “I made my career there, and I grew up in Utah. There were different teams that showed interest. But I wanted to make the best decision for myself and my family.”

Favors will return to a different role, Jones notes. He was a starter for most of his time in Utah, but he will be used primarily as a back-up center and power forward, though he may start some games against smaller teams. The Jazz had other options if they couldn’t sign Favors, Jones adds, including at least two players who were starters last season, but they couldn’t play both positions.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

The trade that will send Steven Adams to New Orleans removes the last link to the Thunder’s best seasons, notes Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. Adams, who was set to make $27.5MM in the final year of his contract, was part of a four-team deal that will bring George Hill, Darius Miller and three draft picks to OKC.
The Nuggets have an open roster spot after withdrawing their qualifying offer to Torrey Craig, and it will most likely be used to add a back-up big man, tweets Mike Singer of The Denver Post. Denver lost Mason Plumlee to Detroit on the first night of free agency. Top centers still available include Hassan Whiteside, Aron Baynes and Marc Gasol.
University of Denver guard Ade Murkey will join the Timberwolves on an Exhibit 10 contract, tweets Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype. Murkey averaged 18.6 points per game last season while shooting 40% from three-point range.

Free Agent Rumors: Lakers, Gasol, KCP, Hawks, More

November 20th, 2020 at 8:39pm CST by Luke Adams

Having lost Dwight Howard in free agency, the Lakers may be eyeing another former Defensive Player of the Year. Marc Stein of The New York Times reports (via Twitter) that Marc Gasol has emerged as a free agent target for the Lakers. Gasol was drafted by L.A. way back in 2007 but was traded to Memphis in a package for his brother Pau Gasol and never appeared in a game for the Lakers.

As we wait to see if the two sides attempt to work toward a deal, let’s round up a few more free agency rumors…

Ramona Shelburne of ESPN tweets that it sounds like the Lakers‘ initial talks with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope haven’t been particularly fruitful. However, Shelburne cautions that it’s still early.
Having reached a deal to sign Danilo Gallinari, the Hawks remain in communication with point guard Rajon Rondo and swingman Bogdan Bogdanovic, sources tell Chris Kirschner of The Athletic.
The Jazz accomplished their main goals in free agency early, securing commitments from Jordan Clarkson and Derrick Favors. Now, they’ll shift their focus to working on contract extensions for Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Jazz Sign Jordan Clarkson To Four-Year Deal

November 20th, 2020 at 8:23pm CST by Dana Gauruder

NOVEMBER 23: Clarkson is officially back under contract with the Jazz, as the team issued a press release announcing his new deal.

“Jordan was an integral part of our team’s success last season,” executive VP of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey said in a statement. “He’s an aggressive, competitive talent that leads by example and provides a big scoring spark. He is a great fit with our roster and we’re excited to bring him back.”

NOVEMBER 20: The Jazz are re-signing Jordan Clarkson to a four-year deal with a total value of $52MM, agent Rich Paul tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Clarkson will have a player option in year four, reports Keith Smith of RealGM (Twitter link).

Utah made Clarkson, one of its top reserves after acquiring the shooting guard from the Cavaliers last season, its top free agent priority. The front office engineered a couple of trades this week to create more cap flexibility. The Jazz reached an agreement to deal Ed Davis to the Knicks and worked out a separate deal that sent Tony Bradley to the Pistons.

Utah struck quickly in free agency. Along with reaching the agreement with Clarkson, the Jazz are bringing back forward Derrick Favors for a second stint by using their mid-level exception.

A prolific scorer, Clarkson averaged 15.6 PPG in 24.7 MPG in 42 regular-season games with the Jazz. He upped that to 16.7 PPG in 28.4 MPG during seven postseason games. Clarkson is a career 34.2% 3-point shooter but improved upon that somewhat last season, draining 36.6% of his attempts with Utah.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jazz Sign Derrick Favors To Three-Year Contract

November 20th, 2020 at 6:39pm CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 25: Favors’ new deal with the Jazz is now official, per the NBA’s transactions log.

NOVEMBER 20: The Jazz and center Derrick Favors are reuniting, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the two sides have reached an agreement on a deal.

Jones says the three-year pact will be worth about $27MM, with a third-year player option (Twitter link). That suggests that Utah is using nearly its full mid-level exception on Favors.

The Jazz and Favors have been linked for several weeks, with Favors spending time in Utah from 2011-2019. The team traded him to New Orleans last year in exchange for 2021 and 2023 second-round picks.

This past season, Favors averaged nine points, 9.8 rebounds and 24.4 minutes per game with the Pelicans, starting in 49 of his 51 contests. The veteran big man was drafted third overall back in 2010 after spending one season at Georgia Tech.

For Utah, Favors is expected to provide frontcourt production behind the likes of Bojan Bogdanovic and Rudy Gobert. The Jazz lost a grueling seven-game series to Denver in the first round of the 2020 NBA playoffs, playing without Bogdanovic due to injury.

Hoops Rumors’ JD Shaw contributed to this report. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agency Rumors: Whiteside, Favors, Clarkson, Bertans

November 20th, 2020 at 4:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings have interest in free agent center Hassan Whiteside, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said today on The Jump (Twitter link via Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee). James Ham of NBC Sports California confirms (via Twitter) that he has heard similar whispers, though he cautions he’s not sure how serious that interest is.

Here are more free agency rumors:

Free agent center Derrick Favors is expected to have contact with his current team – the Pelicans – and his old team – the Jazz – as free agency opens, league sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). Other teams will also kick the tires on Favors, Jones adds.
The Jazz are making re-sigining Jordan Clarkson their top priority in free agency, tweets Tony Jones.
The Wizards are meeting with Davis Bertans as free agency opens, according to Chris Miller of NBC Sports Washington (Twitter link). Re-signing the stretch four has long been considered Washington’s top priority this offseason.