Utah Jazz Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Jazz Sign Frank Jackson, Kris Dunn To 10-Day Contracts

February 22nd, 2023 at 3:19pm CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 22: The Jazz have officially signed both Jackson and Dunn to 10-day contracts, the team confirmed today in a press release. The deals will run through next Friday (March 3), covering Utah’s next four games.

FEBRUARY 21: The Jazz have reached an agreement to sign guard Frank Jackson to a 10-day contract, agents Troy Payne and Mike Silverman tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The 31st overall pick in the 2017 draft, Jackson missed his entire rookie season due to a foot injury, then appeared in 213 regular season games over the next four seasons with the Pelicans and Pistons. In 2021/22, he averaged a career-high 10.6 points per game on .402/.308/.827 shooting in 53 contests (22.0 MPG) for Detroit.

Jackson, a former high school star in Utah, signed non-guaranteed contracts with the Suns and Jazz last fall, but didn’t make a regular season roster and has spent the season playing for the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s G League affiliate.

He averaged 19.5 PPG on .441/.410/.733 shooting in 12 Showcase Cup appearances (31.1 MPG) and has increased his production since the NBAGL regular season began, registering 22.2 PPG with a .487/.438/.837 shooting line in 17 games (33.8 MPG). Jackson’s strong play earned him a spot in the G League’s Next Up Game in Salt Lake City over the weekend.

The Jazz are also signing former lottery pick Kris Dunn to a 10-day deal, league sources tell Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report (Twitter link).

Dunn, 28, was drafted fifth overall in 2016 and has appeared in 245 regular season games since then for the Timberwolves, Bulls, Hawks, and Trail Blazers. Like Jackson though, he hasn’t played in the NBA so far this season, having spent the year in the G League.

Through 20 NBAGL regular season games (29.7 MPG) with the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s affiliate, Dunn is averaging 16.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 5.3 APG and 2.6 SPG on .522/.412/.755 shooting, to go along with his usual strong defense.

The Jazz had just 12 players on their standard roster after buying out Leandro Bolmaro and Russell Westbrook, so they needed to start refilling those spots soon, as we noted this morning. Even after signing Jackson and Dunn, Utah will still have one opening left on its 15-man squad.

Roster Moves Required Soon For Knicks, Hornets, Rockets, Jazz

February 21st, 2023 at 7:34am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s rules require teams to carry a minimum of 14 players on their standard 15-man roster (not counting two-way contracts). However, teams are permitted to dip below 14 players for up to two weeks at a time, and that often happens around the trade deadline when clubs send out multiple players in a deal without acquiring as many in return.

Entering this week, there were six NBA teams who were carrying only 13 players on standard contracts. However, the Heat filled their two open roster spots by signing Kevin Love and Cody Zeller, while the Bucks are reportedly signing Meyers Leonard to a 10-day contract to be their 14th man (they’ll have to finalize that deal by Thursday).

That leaves four teams with roster moves to make in the coming days, as our roster counts page shows. Here’s the breakdown:

New York Knicks

The Knicks had a full 15-man roster heading into trade deadline day, but they sent out three players – Cam Reddish, Ryan Arcidiacono, and Svi Mykhailiuk – in the multi-team deal that landed Josh Hart in New York.

As a result, the Knicks have been carrying just 13 players on standard contracts since February 9 and will have until this Thursday to add at least one player to their roster. Two-way player DaQuan Jeffries has been mentioned as a candidate for a possible promotion.

Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets didn’t make any mismatched trades at the February 9 deadline, but they already had one open roster spot at that time and created another when they bought out Reggie Jackson after acquiring him from the Clippers.

Since Jackson was officially waived on February 12, the Hornets’ two-week window to add a 14th man will close on Feb. 26, so they still have a few days to make a decision on that spot. Promoting a two-way player (Theo Maledon or Bryce McGowens) is one option for Charlotte, though the team could also target a free agent for either a 10-day or rest-of-season contract.

Houston Rockets

The Rockets made a series of cuts after the trade deadline passed, waiving John Wall and buying out Danny Green and Justin Holiday. They did sign Boban Marjanovic during that time as well, so they only have two openings on their roster, rather than three. But they’ll have to add a 14th man by February 27, two weeks after Holiday was officially cut.

Again, the Rockets could choose to promote a two-way player, but Darius Days or Trevor Hudgins have barely played at the NBA level this season, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Houston opt for a free agent or a G League call-up instead.

Utah Jazz

The Jazz had a full roster entering February 9, but traded four players for three in their deal with the Lakers and Timberwolves. They subsequently created two more roster openings by buying out Leandro Bolmaro (on Feb. 16) and Russell Westbrook (on Monday).

Because they first dipped below the 14-man minimum last Thursday, Utah will have until next Thursday (March 2) to add two players.

The 29-31 Jazz remain very much in the play-in mix, just a half-game behind the No. 10 Thunder, so it’s possible they could have interest in a veteran who could contribute immediately.

On the other hand, the Jazz’s deadline moves suggested management wasn’t focused on going all-out for a top-10 seed, so they may rather bring in young players they could develop — Utah could potentially sign those players to multiyear contracts that aren’t guaranteed beyond this season, allowing the team to take cheap fliers on a couple prospects.

[Note: The Jazz reached agreements to sign Frank Jackson and Kris Dunn to 10-day contracts a few hours after this story was published.]

Roster Spots Available After Buyouts

February 20th, 2023 at 10:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Jazz will be adding at least two players in the coming days. Now that they’ve bought out and waived Russell Westbrook and Leandro Bolmaro, they’re down to 12 players on the 15-man roster. Teams are only permitted to dip below 14 players on standard contracts for up to two weeks at a time.

The Jazz have a multitude of financial options to expand the roster, including the use of $5.5MM of its midlevel exception available to split up and sign players to multiyear contracts, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets.

After his All-Star appearance, the Jazz want to see more growth from Lauri Markkanen, Tony Jones of The Athletic writes. Now that they’ve traded Mike Conley and Malik Beasley, they will put the ball in Markkanen’s hands more often during crunch time, seeing how he makes decisions for himself and others. The coaching staff also wants to see him in more isolations.

Community Shootaround: Most Improved Player

February 20th, 2023 at 3:32pm CST by Rory Maher

Since 2000/01, 12 of the 22 Most Improved Player award winners have been 23 years old or younger. Only three — Julius Randle (26), Goran Dragic (27) and Hedo Turkoglu — were older than 25, with Turkoglu the oldest winner during that span at 28.

Of the past 22 winners, 17 had played fewer than five seasons. Needless to say, a younger, relatively inexperienced player typically wins the award.

The three frontrunners for the ’22/23 MIP award are slightly different. According to BetOnline.ag, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+140) is neck-and-neck with Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (+145), followed closely by Knicks guard Jalen Brunson at +250 (Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton and Nets guard Cam Thomas are each viewed as long shots at +4000).

Gilgeous-Alexander, 24, is in his fifth season. Markkanen, 25, is in his sixth. Brunson, 26, is in his fifth. That’s not to take anything away from any of the players whatsoever, I just thought it was interesting that they are slightly more experienced than many of the past winners over the past couple decades.

All three have compelling cases. On top of averaging 30.8 PPG (his previous career-high was 24.5), 4.7 RPG and 5.7 APG on terrific efficiency (.508/.343/.912 shooting line for a .624 true shooting percentage), Gilgeous-Alexander is one of only three qualifying players (Jaren Jackson Jr. and Joel Embiid are the others) averaging at least one steal (1.6) and one block per game (1.1).

He has also led Oklahoma City to a surprising 28-29 record, good for the No. 10 seed in the West at the moment. I don’t think many people would have predicted the Thunder would be in the play-in tournament this late in the ’22/23 season, especially after No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren was ruled out before the season began with a foot injury.

Markkanen is also averaging a career-high in PPG at 24.9 (previous high was 18.7) on elite efficiency — of players averaging at least 20 PPG, his .657 TS% only trails Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry. He’s shooting at career-high levels from all over the court, including twos (.594), threes (.412), FG% (.512) and FT% (.877). The Finnisher is also averaging a solid 8.6 RPG for the resilient 29-31 Jazz, the No. 11 seed in the West.

Brunson has been instrumental in the Knicks’ turnaround this season, with New York currently sitting at 33-27, No. 6 in the East. Like his primary competition for the award, he’s averaging a career-high 23.9 PPG (previous high was 16.3) on top of a career-best 6.2 APG. His shooting slash line of .485/.411/.838 is excellent, and his .592 TS% is well above average for a point guard.

We want to know what you think. Who would you currently select for the Most Improved Player award? Why? Head to the comments to weigh in.

Walker Kessler Appears To Be In The Right Place

February 18th, 2023 at 8:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mitchell spent five seasons with the Jazz, making three All-Star appearances, before being traded to Cleveland last summer. He said returning to Salt Lake City brings back a lot of memories and pointed out that current Cavs teammates Ricky Rubio and Raul Neto helped him adapt to the NBA during his early days in Utah.

Tony Jones of The Athletic credits a subpar showing in the NCAA Tournament with helping Walker Kessler end up with the Jazz. Kessler got into foul trouble and struggled with drop coverage as highly-ranked Auburn was upset by Miami last spring. That resulted in Kessler slipping to the 22nd pick and Minnesota being willing to part with him in the Rudy Gobert trade. Kessler has become the starting center for Utah and a virtual lock for All-Rookie honors. “As far as a ceiling goes, I don’t really see one for Walker,” head coach Will Hardy said. “There’s nothing right now that hits me in the face as a big limitation.”

Heat Notes: Love, Adebayo, Westbrook, Yurtseven, O. Robinson

February 18th, 2023 at 7:32pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heat players are excited about the prospect of adding Kevin Love to their current roster, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Miami is considered to be the frontrunner to sign the veteran big man once he clears waivers, with a source telling Chiang that Love is intrigued by the possibility of regular playing time and the chance to team up with veteran stars Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler.

Adebayo and Tyler Herro both received questions about Love on Saturday during All-Star Weekend media sessions. In addition to the talent upgrade, they pointed out that Love would bring plenty of postseason experience.

“Anytime we can get somebody the caliber of Kevin Love, he’s played in so many big games, so many big playoff runs and he’s experienced,” Herro said. “He’s been there before. Getting a guy like that, we’ve seen what we can do if we add veteran players like that midway through the season. Usually that leads to good runs and long playoff runs for us as a team.”

There’s more from Miami:

Adebayo is in the second season of a five-year extension, and team president Pat Riley hopes to keep in him Miami long after that contract expires, Chiang notes in a separate story. Riley sees the 25-year-old center as a franchise cornerstone and a candidate to spend his entire career with the Heat. “It’s been a blessing to have him,” Riley said. “I go back to (Alonzo Mourning) and ‘Zo was a franchise face and then Dwyane (Wade) along with Udonis (Haslem), and now I look at Bam the same way because of longevity. I see Bam here, I hope, for his whole career.”
Miami is considered a potential destination for Russell Westbrook if he pursues a buyout with the Jazz, but the feedback Heat officials have gotten while investigating Westbrook has been “mixed” at best, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Jackson hears that the team expects Kyle Lowry to be productive once he returns from his knee issues, so adding a big man is a greater priority than finding a point guard.
The Heat are facing a decision between Omer Yurtseven and Orlando Robinson, not only for backup center minutes for the rest of the season, but probably in offseason contract talks as well, per Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Yurtseven, who is still awaiting his season debut after undergoing ankle surgery in November, has an expiring contract and can be made a restricted free agent with a $2.2MM qualifying offer. Robinson can only be active for four more games on his two-way contract and would have to be converted to a standard deal to play beyond that.

Northwest Notes: Westbrook, Williams, Hyland, Nuggets Bench

February 17th, 2023 at 10:19pm CST by Rory Maher

Tony Jones of The Athletic believes it’s “very, very unlikely” that Russell Westbrook will ever play a game for the Jazz, noting that the veteran guard wouldn’t receive much playing time as the team prioritizes its younger players (Twitter links).

According to Jones, the two most likely scenarios for Westbrook are securing a buyout if he finds a situation he likes, or remaining on Utah’s roster but away from the team.

While that’s hardly surprising news, it’s still noteworthy that Westbrook might finish the season not actively playing. On the other hand, if he joins another team and things go awry, that could hurt his value ahead of free agency.

The 2016/17 MVP has made over $300MM in his career, so it’s not like he needs more money, but it’s a lot easier for a team to move on from a player who isn’t making much money than one who is. It’s a tricky balance to strike for a decorated player who was often criticized (sometimes unfairly) on his last team.

Here’s more from the Northwest:

Thunder swingman Jalen Williams has flown under the radar a bit in ’22/23, but he’s having an outstanding rookie season, averaging 12.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.9 APG and 1.2 SPG on .508/.324/.759 shooting. He recently spoke to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype about a number of topics, sharing an amusing story about how he first met head coach Mark Daigneault.
Bones Hyland was traded to the Clippers last week after a rocky end to his Nuggets tenure. The second-year guard explained that he had “great communication” with Denver’s front office, but not so much with the coaching staff. “Yeah, I feel like it could’ve been done better on both ends,” Hyland said, per Mike Singer of The Denver Post (subscriber link). “Just more communication. I’ve got so much love for Denver, but I just feel like the communication was just so low. I had a lot of mixed emotions, and we didn’t come together and just make it better.”
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone suggested he’s going to run a five-man bench lineup of Reggie Jackson, Bruce Brown, Christian Braun, Vlatko Cancar and Thomas Bryant once Jackson is activated after the All-Star break, tweets Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports. A notable omission from that group is veteran forward Jeff Green, who has consistently been in the rotation when healthy and scored a season-high 24 points in Wednesday’s victory over Dallas. Malone has tweaked the bench rotation multiple times this season, however, so it wouldn’t be surprising if that five-man group changes over time.

Jazz Waive Leandro Bolmaro

February 16th, 2023 at 7:30pm CST by Rory Maher

7:30pm: Bolmaro actually reached a buyout agreement with the Jazz, reports Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune (via Twitter). Bolmaro wanted to return to Europe in order to get playing time and Utah accommodated his request, per Walden.

4:55pm: The Jazz have officially waived Bolmaro, per NBA.com’s transaction log. Utah now has 13 players on standard contracts and will have up to two weeks to add a 14th man.

2:24pm: The Jazz intend to waive Leandro Bolmaro, sources tell Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Bolmaro, a 6’6″ guard from Argentina, was the 23rd overall pick of the 2020 draft, but wound up signing his contract a year later, so he’s only in his second NBA season. The Jazz declined their third-year team option on the 22-year-old before the 2022/23 season began, which indicated that he might not be in Utah’s long-term plans.

As Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune notes (via Twitter), the Jazz’s backcourt was shorthanded during Wednesday’s loss to Memphis — Russell Westbrook is away from the team as he explores his options, and Collin Sexton exited the game early with a left hamstring injury (Twitter link via Larsen). The fact that Utah opted not to use Bolmaro in that situation was a pretty ominous sign.

Larsen has heard the Spurs may have been interested in Bolmaro in the past. San Antonio’s 17-man roster is full at this point, however.

Bolmaro spent his rookie season with the Timberwolves, but was sent to Utah as part of the Rudy Gobert trade. In 49 career games, including 14 this season with the Jazz, Bolmaro has averaged just 6.3 minutes per contest.

If he clears waivers, the former first-round pick will receive $2,471,160 from Utah and will become an unrestricted free agent.

Clippers Talking To Russell Westbrook

February 16th, 2023 at 10:32am CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers have begun talks with Russell Westbrook after being granted permission by the Jazz, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

L.A. has been prominently mentioned as a possible destination for Westbrook if he agrees to a buyout with Utah. He’s established in the city after playing the past year and a half with the Lakers, and the Clippers are in need of point guard help after failing to upgrade that position at the trade deadline.

Paul George and Marcus Morris both publicly endorsed the idea of adding Westbrook to the team last week.

Westbrook appears to have several options if he accepts a buyout, with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski mentioning the Wizards as being interested during Wednesday night’s NBA Countdown. Westbrook helped Washington secure a playoff berth in his lone season with the team before being traded to the Lakers.

The Bulls, with Westbrook’s former Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan, and the Heat, who also need backcourt help, are believed to be other leading contenders to sign the 34-year-old guard.

Westbrook was sent to the Jazz as part of a three-way trade at last week’s deadline following a tumultuous stay with the Lakers. He adapted to a bench role this season, but still struggled with his shot, connecting at 41.7% from the field and 29.6% from three-point range.

Russell Westbrook Interested In Returning To Wizards?

February 15th, 2023 at 7:40pm CST by Rory Maher

After being traded from the Lakers last week, former league MVP Russell Westbrook is currently away from the Jazz as he explores his options on the buyout market. Utah has granted Westbrook permission to speak with teams that might be interested in his services, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN said on NBA Countdown (YouTube link).

While the Bulls, Clippers and Heat have previously been mentioned as possibilities, Wojnarowski reports that Westbrook has also spoken to the Wizards.

Westbrook helped lead the Wizards to the playoffs a couple years ago prior to getting traded to Los Angeles. In 65 games (36.4 MPG) with the Wizards in 2020/21, he averaged a triple-double, posting 22.2 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 11.7 APG and 1.4 SPG on .439/.315/.656 shooting splits.

He only spent one season in Washington D.C., but Westbrook is familiar with several players on the Wizards’ roster and shares an agent (Jeff Schwartz) with Kristaps Porzingis.

As Woj explains, Westbrook and his potential suitors have been trying to figure out “what a potential fit might look like, what a role might look.” There’s also a chance that Westbrook could opt to sit out the rest of the season and enter unrestricted free agency this summer, according to Wojnarowski.

In 52 games (28.7 MPG) with the Lakers in ’22/23, all but three as a reserve, Westbrook averaged 15.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 7.5 APG and 1.0 SPG on .417/.296/.655 shooting.