Utah Jazz Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Jazz Sign Micah Potter To Two-Way Contract

August 6th, 2024 at 12:35pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 6: The Jazz have officially signed Potter to his two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.

AUGUST 3: The Jazz have agreed to a two-way contract with big man Micah Potter, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Potter, who went undrafted out of Wisconsin in 2021, made his NBA debut in January 2022 while on a 10-day contract with the Pistons, but was unable to land another NBA deal until the Jazz signed him to a two-way contract ahead of the 2022/23 season.

He has spent the past two seasons occupying one of Utah’s two-way slots, appearing in 23 NBA games for the team during that time and averaging 3.4 points and 2.6 rebounds in 10.3 minutes per contest.

Potter has seen more extensive action at the G League level while under contract with the Jazz. In 2023/24, he appeared in a total of 42 Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Salt Lake City Stars, averaging 15.8 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 2.9 APG, and 1.8 BPG in just 29.6 MPG and posting an impressive shooting line of .508/.399/.756.

Potter’s strong play with the Stars helped earn him a rare opportunity this summer — SLC head coach Steve Wojciechowski, a Duke alum who has connections to Grant Hill and Mike Krzyzewski, recommended the 26-year-old for the U.S. Select Team ahead of the Paris Olympics, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

While Potter hasn’t yet gotten the chance to play regular minutes in the NBA, his time training and scrimmaging with Team USA in Las Vegas, Abu Dhabi, and London solidified his belief that he’s capable of competing at the highest level he prepares for his fourth season, as Fischer details.

“I always belonged,” Potter said. “I always felt like I belonged, I competed like I belonged and I performed like I belonged. I never had doubt beforehand, but being on the floor with the best players America has, it just confirmed my confidence.”

Potter’s two-way contract will be for one year and will pay him $578,577 if he’s not waived before January’s league-wide salary guarantee date. He’ll be eligible to play in up to 50 NBA games for the Jazz and will join Jason Preston and Taevion Kinsey as Utah’s two-way players.

Jazz Sent Contingent To Finland To Watch Lauri, George

August 5th, 2024 at 10:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

If the Jazz plan on trading Lauri Markkanen, they’re certainly doing a good job hiding their intentions. Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack post that the Jazz recently sent multiple coaching staff representatives to Finland to assist Markkanen in workouts with second-year guard Keyonte George. That gives the impression they’re not looking to deal their starting power forward, regardless of whether he signs an extension.

Lauri Markkanen Not Expected To Sign Extension Until After August 6

August 5th, 2024 at 10:44am CST by Arthur Hill

Jazz star Lauri Markkanen appears likely to delay signing his new extension until after Tuesday so he can ensure that he won’t be traded this season, league sources tell Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

Markkanen will become renegotiation-eligible on August 6, which is exactly six months before the NBA’s trade deadline. Contract renegotiations trigger a six-month moratorium on trades, so if he waits until August 7 or later to accept the new deal, Markkanen can make sure that he’ll spend the entire upcoming season with Utah. Tony Jones of The Athletic previously stated that’s likely what will happen.

Veteran extensions are limited to a 40% raise in the first year, so Markkanen would normally be looking at $25,262,362 as the starting salary in his next contract. But because the Jazz still have more than $35MM in cap room, they can renegotiate his salary for 2024/25 from $18MM up to $42,176,400 and start the extension based on that number, giving him something in the neighborhood of a max deal.

With the clock ticking on Markkanen’s extension eligibility, it appears less likely that he’ll be traded before he can sign a new deal with Utah. The Jazz have reportedly been listening to offers, but have said they aren’t actively trying to move their All-Star forward.

Sources tell Fischer that the Kings and Warriors have both tried to deal for Markkanen since the start of free agency. Sacramento made “significant progress” in negotiations before trade talks collapsed in early July, Fischer adds. Golden State has also made offers for Markkanen, but Fischer’s sources say that Utah has prioritized Brandin Podziemski or Jonathan Kuminga, who are both viewed as starters for the Warriors this season.

Fischer also hears that the Spurs have expressed interest in Markkanen ever since he was a restricted free agent back in 2021, and San Antonio had hoped to acquire Markkanen in the sign-and-trade deal that sent DeMar DeRozan to Chicago that summer. The Thunder also had interest in Markkanen at the time, Fischer adds.

Fischer points out that Utah already has a large collection of first-round picks and trade swaps, so there’s limited value in acquiring more draft assets in exchange for Markkanen, a 27-year-old who’s playing at an All-Star level and wants to stay in Salt Lake City. Fischer believes that – except for the Kings – much of the trade talk surrounding Markkanen this summer has been “preliminary at best.”

Bobby Marks and Tim MacMahon of ESPN also examine the Markkanen situation, including the prospects of a last-minute trade. Their sources indicate that the Warriors and Jazz haven’t come close to reaching a deal, with one source saying Golden State is being “very protective” of Podziemski.

Cody Williams Shined In Las Vegas

August 3rd, 2024 at 9:03am CST by Dana Gauruder

Lottery pick Cody Williams was the Jazz’s most impressive player in the Las Vegas Summer League, according to The Athletic’s Tony Jones. Williams displayed an immense skill level there after struggling in the Salt Lake City Summer League. Jones believes Williams should get immediate playing time in the NBA and go through the natural ups and downs of a rookie, rather than being sent to the G League.

The Complexities Of The Lauri Markkanen Situation

August 2nd, 2024 at 8:15am CST by Luke Adams

On the surface, the Lauri Markkanen situation in Utah looks relatively straightforward.

The Finnish forward is a star on an expiring contract playing for a team very much still in a rebuilding stage. The Jazz will have to make a decision that lottery teams face all the time. Does it makes more sense to trade Markkanen now in order to bottom out ahead of the 2025 draft and ensure they don't lose him later for nothing, or to hang onto the 27-year-old and attempt to sign him long-term to make him part of the core moving forward?

It's not simply a matter of choosing one course or the other though. A confluence of factors, such as the Jazz's $30MM+ in cap room, Markkanen's contract situation (including an unusually low cap hit for a former All-Star), and a series of rules in the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement, create added complications.

The Jazz will have decisions to make beyond just whether or not to trade Markkanen. He, in turn, will face decisions of his own, as soon as next week.

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Signed Second-Rounders To Count Against Cap As Of Wednesday

July 30th, 2024 at 10:55am CST by Luke Adams

Between July 1 and July 30 of each NBA league year, a player signed using the second-round pick exception doesn’t count toward his team’s cap, but that changes as of July 31. Beginning on Wednesday, each of the second-rounders signed using that exception will begin carrying 2024/25 cap hits.

[RELATED: 2024 NBA Draft Pick Signings]

Twenty-eight of the NBA’s 30 teams are operating over the cap, so this change will really only affect two teams: Detroit and Utah.

The Pistons signed No. 37 overall pick Bobi Klintman on July 13 to a contract that will be worth $1,257,153 in 2024/25. His $1,257,153 salary hasn’t counted against Detroit’s cap up until today, but it will count starting on Wednesday. That means Detroit’s cap room will be reduced from $11,496,652 to $10,239,499.

The impact that change will have on the Pistons’ rest-of-summer plans is minimal, bordering on nonexistent. But it’s still worth noting since it slightly affects the kind of moves the team can make. For example, as of today, Detroit could accommodate a P.J. Tucker salary dump from the Clippers without sending back any salary. As of Wednesday, that wouldn’t be possible.

Interestingly, the Jazz have yet to sign No. 32 overall pick Kyle Filipowski, so their cap situation will remain unchanged on Wednesday. With reported deals for Drew Eubanks and Johnny Juzang still not official yet either, Utah could create up to about $35MM in space by renouncing various cap holds.

I expect the Jazz are waiting to resolve their Lauri Markkanen situation – either via trade or renegotiation-and-extension – before signing Filipowski and formally finalizing their other agreements. Trading Markkanen could mean taking on additional salary in a deal, while renegotiating his contract could require up to $24MM+ in cap room to bump his 2024/25 salary to the max.

Having resolution on Markkanen – which could happen in about a week when he becomes renegotiation-eligible – will give Utah’s front office a better sense of its cap situation going forward, allowing the team to move forward with its other business.

Jazz Rumors: Markkanen, Lineup, Collins, Clarkson

July 30th, 2024 at 9:34am CST by Luke Adams

Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen will become eligible to renegotiate and extend his contract on August 6. Signing on that day would make him ineligible to be traded for six months, with the trade restriction lifting on the day of the 2025 trade deadline (February 6).

Making a Monday appearance on The Drive with Spence Checketts on ESPN 700 in Salt Lake City (audio link), Tony Jones of The Athletic explained why he’s not counting on an Aug. 6 announcement.

“I would expect him to sign on August 7th, or after August 6th,” Jones said (hat tip to HoopsHype). “Lauri doesn’t want to be traded, so if he signs the renegotiation and extension, which I expect him to do, I expect him to do it after August 6th so there’s no trade talk this year. I don’t even think him signing on August 6th is even that much of an option. We’re almost 100% trending towards him signing on August 7th.

“Lauri has really taken to Utah. His family has taken to Utah. Obviously the Jazz can trade him between now and August 6th, and Lauri knows that, but Lauri has forged a really close relationship with (head coach) Will Hardy. And Will Hardy has really found a way to unlock his career in a manner that hasn’t been accomplished before. Lauri really recognizes that, understands that, and appreciates that. He wants to be a part of the rebuild.”

Jones confirms that the Jazz explored making “win-now” transactions at the start of the offseason, including pursuing Mikal Bridges. After those moves didn’t come to fruition, the expectation was that Utah might pivot to a more full-fledged rebuild by trading Markkanen. But Jones says the Jazz believe the 27-year-old’s game will age well and that he should still be in his prime when the team is ready to contend again.

“The likely scenario is Lauri signs on August 7th, the Jazz prioritize the young guys during the season, and they try to enter the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes in the draft in 2025,” Jones said.

Here are a few more highlights from Jones’ ESPN 700 radio appearance:

Later in his conversation with Checketts, Jones stressed that he doesn’t believe a Markkanen trade is likely to happen this offseason. Asked to rate the odds of a deal on a scale from one to 10, Jones said he’d “probably put it at a two” for the time being. “I think we’re trending toward the Jazz not trading Lauri,” he said. “I don’t think that there’s a package out there that they’re overly interested in.”
Asked what it would look like for the Jazz to “prioritize the young guys” in 2024/25, Jones said he expects the team to start Walker Kessler over John Collins at center while also potentially starting Keyonte George at point guard and Taylor Hendricks at power forward (with Markkanen at the three). Jones added that he could see 2024 lottery pick Cody Williams playing double-digit minutes “from day one.”
According to Jones, making sure the Jazz keep their top-10 protected 2025 first-round pick and end up in the top half of the lottery figures to be a priority for management. “I think that the front office is going to go into this with the mindset of, ‘We have to do anything we can to get a top-five pick in this draft,'” Jones said. “I believe that if the Jazz accomplish that, I think any of the top five picks in next year’s draft is a guy with franchise-level talent. … I think the Jazz realize how good this draft is. And I think they are going to act accordingly, whether they have Lauri on the roster or not.”
Jones thinks the Jazz would have liked to move Collins and/or Jordan Clarkson this offseason, but acknowledges that both veterans will probably open the season on the roster since they haven’t generated real interest on the trade market. “You can’t trade people if there aren’t people who want to trade for them,” Jones said. “John makes a little bit too much money. I don’t anticipate the Jazz being able to trade him until the last year of his contract. Jordan Clarkson is the one that surprises me because I thought he’d have a lot more of a market this summer, but it just hasn’t materialized.”

Community Shootaround: Underrated Remaining Free Agents

July 28th, 2024 at 8:48pm CST by Tristan Tucker

For the most part, standard roster spots across the league have dried up with the bulk of the top free agents having decided their destinations earlier in July. And some of the teams that do have open roster spots seem to be maneuvering to bring back some of the bigger names remaining in free agency.

Take the Grizzlies for example, who salary dumped Ziaire Williams in a move that seems to be setting up a return for Luke Kennard, one of the top players still available. The Cavaliers have three open standard roster spots, but figure to fill one or more of them once Isaac Okoro‘s restricted free agency is resolved (whether they’re keeping flexibility for a sign-and-trade or simply plan to bring him back remains to be seen). The Knicks, likewise, are the most likely destination for Precious Achiuwa but could still execute a sign-and-trade.

The remaining players on our top-50 list are Okoro (No. 20), Kennard (No. 29), Achiuwa (No. 37), Markelle Fultz (No. 43), Cedi Osman (No. 46) and Gordon Hayward (No. 49). While teams seem to have at least some level of plans in place for the top few remaining free agents, there are several others who have found recent success in the NBA and could help teams, but who appear to have been overlooked to this point.

A pair of Nets guards in Lonnie Walker IV and Dennis Smith Jr. are among the free agents who haven’t found new homes. Both are still relatively young and have shown promise in their careers. Smith, in particular, established himself as one of the better backcourt defenders in the league in his season with Charlotte in 2022/23, but he didn’t catch on for the long term. Walker has shown an ability to score in bunches and averaged 9.7 points in just 17.4 minutes last season (20.1 points per 36).

Likewise, Jordan Nwora is a young wing who can score in a pinch, but he hasn’t been brought back by the Raptors to this point. Though he’s shown flashes in Milwaukee, Indiana and Toronto, Nwora’s NBA future is unknown at this point. In 206 career appearances, the former No. 45 overall pick has averaged 7.6 points per game.

Talen Horton-Tucker made 11 starts for the Jazz last season and averaged 10.1 points and 3.5 assists per contest. While it’s possible the Jazz continue to develop the 23-year-old, there has been no indication so far that he remains in their plans.

Other young players like Omer Yurtseven, Dominick Barlow and Brandon Boston Jr. have had moments in the league, but none have found homes this offseason.

Davis Bertans feels likely to end up signing a deal with a contender, but his name hasn’t come up much in free agent conversations. Though he isn’t young, Bertans seemed to rehabilitate his value with Charlotte after averages 20.8 minutes last year after being acquired at the deadline, and he shot 37.5% from three on 6.3 attempts per game.

To be clear, the perceived lack of a market for the aforementioned players isn’t necessarily surprising. Tyus Jones and Gary Trent, though they reportedly passed on more lucrative offers, ended up only signing for the minimum. Teams are impacted by the CBA’s recent tax apron changes and a smaller-than-usual cap increase, resulting in a slower free agency this season.

Still, there’s always value to be found across professional basketball, and plenty of talented players are available to be signed by teams.

We want your input. Who do you think are the most underrated remaining free agents? Are there any players you feel are unfairly overlooked? Is there anyone we forgot?

Head to the comment section to let us know! We look forward to hearing your input.

Joe Lacob Reluctant To Trade Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski

July 27th, 2024 at 5:18pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors are rumored to be among the teams with the most interest in trading for Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, but team owner Joe Lacob tells Tim Kawakami of The Athletic that it would be difficult to part with either Jonathan Kuminga or Brandin Podziemski in any deal. Lacob says teams have inquired about both players, but he sees them as future franchise cornerstones.

“We’re extremely high (on Podziemski),” Lacob said. “By the way, so are a lot of other teams that are interested. We get a lot of calls on both him and JK. We do on Moses (Moody), as well, by the way. … I do believe that if you talk about Podz in particular, I said it at the Summer League, I think he has the potential to be an All-Star in this league. And I absolutely believe it. And so does everyone in our organization. I think that JK is in the same boat. He has the potential to be an All-Star in this league. The potential.”

Podziemski showed he was ready for a rotation role in his first season, averaging 9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 74 games and finishing fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting. Kuminga, who is extension-eligible this summer, has taken longer to develop his game, but he’s coming off a breakthrough season with career highs in virtually every category.

A recent report stated that Golden State hasn’t included Podziemski or Kuminga in its offer for Markannen, instead centering the package around Moody, other contracts and draft assets. That hasn’t been enough to sway Utah, which may not feel a need to move Markkanen before he becomes eligible to renegotiate and extend his contract on Aug. 6.

“I’m not going to get into specifics like that, there’s no way,” Lacob replied when asked if he would be willing to deal Podziemski. “(But) I don’t want to give him up, or JK. We love these guys. And Moses, Trayce (Jackson-Davis). These are good young players.”

Lacob offers more insights in the wide-ranging interview:

On a possible deal with Stephen Curry, who is eligible for a one-year, $62.6MM extension this summer that would push his contract through the 2026/27 season:

“We have not discussed it. He’s busy right now and he should stay busy and focused on that with the Olympics. But if he wants to talk about that, that’s up to him. He’s not said that at all, but if he wants to, we’ll certainly entertain that discussion. … Let’s put it this way, Steph Curry I fully anticipate he’ll be a Warrior for life. I thought Klay (Thompson) was going to be, too, but I was wrong.”

On Curry’s recent comments that he wouldn’t want to stay with the Warriors if they were to become a “bottom feeder”:

“From what I’ve heard, all he said was what you’d expect, I’d think, which is, ‘I want to win.’ And if we were a really bad team, I guess he would rethink, you know, whether he really wanted to finish his career here. But he didn’t expect — that’s not the case and he didn’t expect that to be the case. And certainly from any conversations I’ve had with Steph, and I’m pretty close to Steph, we talk a lot. I think we have a great relationship. I think he’s very comfortable with the path of the franchise and how hard we do try to put a great, as good a product on the court as we can.”

On the loss of Thompson, who had been an important part of the franchise since being drafted in 2011:

“To be frank and honest, Klay made the decision prior to the beginning of free agency and he informed us of it that his intention was to not come back. … He called me and said the same things you heard (at Klay’s Dallas news conference). Klay is an open book. He felt he needed for a variety of reasons to have a fresh start. I would love if Klay had been a Warrior for life. And under a fair and equitable basis, we wanted to try to achieve that very badly. We did achieve it with Draymond (Green) (last summer), a different situation. Steph’s under the contract. So we felt we on a path to do that. It just didn’t work out. … And we had to move on and accept that.”

Western Notes: Jazz, Clarkson, Draymond, Klay, Blazers, Kings

July 25th, 2024 at 8:39pm CST by Luke Adams

Within a look at the Jazz‘s potential depth chart, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune says that Jordan Clarkson hasn’t drawn any real trade interest this offseason, so it appears the veteran guard will still be on Utah’s roster when the regular season tips off this fall.

In Larsen’s view, Clarkson, Collin Sexton, and Keyonte George all possess similar skill sets as score-first guards who aren’t particularly strong on defense or super-efficient as shooters. While each of them may be best suited as a sixth man, Larsen projects George and Sexton as the starters, with Clarkson coming off the bench.

Rather than trying to start John Collins again alongside Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler in the frontcourt, the Jazz should give 2024 lottery pick Cody Williams a shot in the starting five, Larsen contends, noting that the team needs to gamble on upside and adding that Williams looks capable of fitting in as an offensive connector.

In his hypothetical Jazz depth chart, Larsen has Isaiah Collier, Taylor Hendricks, and Drew Eubanks joining Clarkson and Collins on the second unit.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

Appearing on the Club 520 Podcast with Jeff Teague (YouTube link), Warriors big man Draymond Green said he’s happy Klay Thompson was able to move on from Golden State this summer — for Thompson’s sake. “I’m happy as hell he’s gone, and the reason I’m happy he’s gone is because he wasn’t happy anymore,” Green said. “As a brother, I only want what’s best for you. Not what’s best for me, not what’s best for this team, not what’s best for the organization. … To see him unhappy – I wouldn’t even necessarily say unhappy, he was uneasy though, just bothered – and to see him that way… that bothered me. … I think it was time for him.”
The Trail Blazers have announced an addition to their coaching staff, issuing a press release to officially confirm the hiring of Ronnie Burrell as an assistant under Chauncey Billups. A former UNC Greensboro standout and a professional player in Europe, Burrell spent last season on Brooklyn’s staff after serving as head coach of the Long Island Nets in 2022/23.
Jim Moran, who coached the Rip City Remix in the G League last season, is joining Mike Brown‘s staff as a Kings assistant, league sources tell Sean Cunningham of FOX 40 Sacramento (Twitter links). Moran previously served as an assistant under Dwane Casey in Detroit and Terry Stotts in Portland, Cunningham notes.