Jazz Rumors

Jazz Making Effort To Sign Stanton Kidd?

After he played well for them in the Utah and Las Vegas Summer Leagues last month, the Jazz are reportedly interested in bringing Stanton Kidd to training camp. However, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, Kidd remains under contract with Turkish team Darussafaka for another year and his deal doesn’t have an NBA out.

Carchia reports that the Jazz and Kidd’s camp are exploring ways to get him out of his deal overseas, but until that happens, Utah won’t be able to add the former Colorado State swingman to their offseason roster. If Kidd does come stateside, it’s not clear what sort of his contract he’d sign — Carchia suggests a two-way deal is a possibility, but Naz Mitrou-Long and Tyler Cavanaugh currently occupy the Jazz’s two-way contract slots.

David Stockton Will Play In Germany

David Stockton, who finished last season with the Jazz, has signed with Medi Bayreuth in Germany, tweets Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.

Stockton inked a pair of 10-day contracts with Utah in March, then signed for the rest of the season in early April. He appeared in three games and played nine total minutes, then saw brief action in two playoff contests.

Stockton, the son of Hall-of-Famer John Stockton, has previous overseas experience in Croatia and New Zealand. He also played three games for the Kings in 2015.

Oddly, despite the fact that Medi Bayreuth has already put out an announcement confirming its deal with Stockton, the veteran guard remains under contract with the Jazz, since his rest-of-season contract last year included a non-guaranteed salary for 2018/19. Presumably, Utah will soon waive Stockton, freeing him up to officially join his new German club.

Erik McCree Will Play In Italy

Erik McCree, a two-way player with the Jazz last season, has signed with the Italian team Consultinvest VL Pesaro, tweets Keith Smith of Real GM.

After going undrafted out of Louisiana Tech, McCree joined the Heat for training camp but was waived before the season began. He agreed to a two-way deal with the Jazz in December and appeared in four NBA games, seeing just eight total minutes of playing time.

The 24-year-old small forward spent most of the season in the G League, splitting time between Sioux Falls and Salt Lake City.

Jazz Sign Tyler Cavanaugh To Two-Way Contract

The Jazz have signed forward Tyler Cavanaugh to a two-way contract, per an official release from the team.

Cavanaugh, 24, played for the Hawks last season as a rookie after going undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft. He appeared in 39 games (one start) during the 2017/18 season, posting respectable averages of 4.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game.

Cavanaugh also saw action in the G League with Atlanta’s affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, where he averaged 14.5 points and 7.3 boards in 23.6 minutes per contest. He was waived by the Hawks back in May, likely in response to an ankle injury, coaching change, and imminent salary guarantee date.

Having already signed Naz Mitrou-Long to a two-way deal, the Jazz have now filled up both of their two-way slots in anticipation of the 2018/19 season. Both players will be eligible to spend up to 45 days with the Jazz during the G League season.

Jazz Hire First Greek-Born NBA Coach

  • The Jazz have hired Fotis Katsikaris as an assistant to Quin Snyder, the team announced in a press release. Katsikaris becomes the first-ever native Greek NBA assistant coach. He was a head coach in Spain last season and served as head coach of the Greek national team from 2014-16.

Jae Crowder Feels At Home In Utah

  • After struggling on-court to adjust to a new role and new teammates at the beginning of last season and coping off-court with the death of his mother from cancer, Jae Crowder finally feels at home with the Jazz, writes Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune. “I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t difficult,” Crowder told The Tribune. “It was hard being thrown into the fire. But, from Day One, the locker room and my teammates [in Utah] were great. The coaching staff was great. … It helped build toughness.”

Derrick Favors Looking To Be More Involved In Offense

  • Per Aaron Falk of UtahJazz.comJazz forward Derrick Favors is looking for an increased role on offense next season. During his free agent meeting with Utah’s front office, the two parties spoke about getting Favors more cuts to the basket and playing out of pick-and-roll or dribble-handoffs more often.

Jazz Sign Naz Mitrou-Long To Two-Way Deal

4:08pm: The signing is now official, the Jazz confirmed in a press release.

2:39pm: The Jazz will sign Naz Mitrou-Long to a two-way contract, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

“I’m just happy that the Jazz were so patient with me and just kept contributing to the fact that they wanted to see me grow,” the guard said (via Eric Woodyard of the Deseret News on Twitter).

Mitrou-Long earned two 10-day deals with the Jazz last season, as the team needed to add depth at the guard spot with Ricky Rubio battling injuries. He didn’t see any real action for the NBA club though, entering just one contest for a total of one minute.

Mitrou-Long also played for Utah’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, last season. The soon-to-be 25-year-old appeared in 40 games with the Stars, averaging 18.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per contest.

Jazz Sign Georges Niang To Multi-Year Deal

8:47pm: The signing is official, according to a Jazz press release.

8:10pm: It’s a three-year, $5MM contract with a first-year guarantee, according to Eric Woodyard of the Deseret News.

7:11pm: The Jazz have agreed to a multi-year deal with forward Georges Niang, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets.

Niang was a restricted free agent after Utah extended a qualifying offer late last month. He played on a two-way contract last season.

Niang received the two-way deal in January after playing for the Warriors’ G League team in Santa Cruz. He made nine brief appearances with Utah last season, averaging 1.0 PPG and 1.o RPG in 3.6 MPG.

The 6’8” Iowa State product saw action in 23 games with the Pacers the previous season.

Jazz Sign Jairus Lyles To Exhibit 10 Contract

8:06pm: Lyles has an Exhibit 10 contract, according to Jones (Twitter link). He can make between $5K and $50K if he is waived by the Jazz, is assigned to the team’s G League affiliate and spends at least 60 days there.

JULY 12, 6:57pm: The Jazz have signed UMBC guard Jairus Lyles, the team announced on its website. Terms of the deal were not released, so it’s not clear if Lyles will receive any guaranteed money.

It’s not a two-way contract, tweets Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune, who suggests it’s a path to get Lyles to the organization’s G League affiliate.

The 23-year-old is playing for Utah’s team in the Las Vegas Summer League, posting 11 points, four rebounds and four assists in his only appearance. He also played in two games in the Utah Jazz Summer League.

Lyles gained national prominence after his UMBC team upset top-seeded Virginia in this year’s NCAA Tournament. He put up a 20.2/5.5/3.5 line in 33 games with the Retrievers.