Utah Jazz Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Veteran NBA Forward Paul Millsap Retiring

December 3rd, 2024 at 1:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA forward Paul Millsap is retiring from basketball after spending 16 seasons in the league, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The 47th overall pick in the 2006 draft out of Louisiana Tech, Millsap spent his first seven seasons with the Jazz before signing as a free agent in 2013 with Atlanta. The 6’7″ big man made four straight All-Star teams with the Hawks before leaving for Denver as a free agent in 2017. He played for the Nuggets for four seasons, then spent his final season in 2021/22 with the Nets and Sixers.

Millsap hasn’t played basketball professionally since 2022, but didn’t formally decide to retire until now, at age 39.

Despite being a late second-round pick, Millsap made the All-Rookie Second team in his first NBA season and immediately established himself as an important rotation player for the Jazz, earning Sixth Man of the Year votes in 2009 and 2010, then taking as Utah’s starting power forward when Carlos Boozer left the team in 2010.

While Millsap had several strong seasons with the Jazz, his best years came with the Hawks under head coach Mike Budenholzer, who led the team to four straight playoff seasons during Millsap’s time in Atlanta, including a 60-win season and an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2014/15.

After averaging a career-high 18.1 points per game in his final year with the Hawks, Millsap served as more of a role player than a featured option in Denver, especially after undergoing wrist surgery during his first season with the Nuggets. He started 186 of 215 games he played for the team, but saw his usage rate steadily decline during those four years.

For his career, Millsap averaged 13.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 block in 28.1 minutes per game across 1,085 regular season appearances. According to Charania, he’s one of just eight players in NBA history who accumulated at least 1,000 career steals, 1,000 blocks, and 500 three-pointers.

According to Basketball-Reference, Millsap earned over $195MM in NBA salaries during his 16 years in the league.

Northwest Notes: Timberwolves, Gordon, George, Jazz

December 3rd, 2024 at 9:25am CST by Luke Adams

The legal battle that will determine who controls the Timberwolves won’t be resolved until January at the earliest, sources tell Eben Novy-Williams and Michael McCann of Sportico.

As Sportico’s duo explains, the legal representatives for current team owner Glen Taylor and prospective owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez will answer “final questions of clarification” from the three-person arbitration panel handling the case in early January. The panel isn’t expected to make its final ruling on the matter until sometime after those questions are answered.

Even when the arbitration process concludes, it likely won’t fully close the books on the Timberwolves’ ownership fight. Novy-Williams and McCann point out that the losing side could petition a federal judge to vacate the arbitration award. Additionally, if the arbitrators rule in favor of Lore and Rodriguez, the new ownership group would still need to be approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

It has been a challenging start to the season for the Timberwolves, but there was no bad body language and there were no concerning post-game quotes after a blowout victory over the Lakers on Monday night. Chris Hine of The Star Tribune has the story on the encouraging win and the good vibes it created.
In his first game back after missing 10 games due to a calf strain, Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon came off the bench on a minutes limit on Sunday and served as Nikola Jokic‘s backup, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. While Gordon has been far more effective as the second-string center than Dario Saric, Zeke Nnaji, or DeAndre Jordan have – Denver was +3 with Jokic off the court vs. the Clippers – he’s the least sustainable option to continue as the backup five over a full 82-game season, given his typical role alongside Jokic, Durando notes.
Outside of his subpar shooting percentages (.375 FG%, .336 3PT%), turnovers and defense have also been issues for Keyonte George, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, who suggests that the second-year Jazz guard hasn’t inspired confidence as a ball-handling point guard and doesn’t shoot well enough to be a full-time shooting guard. George is still just 21 years old and works hard, Larsen writes, but will have to make significant strides to become the player the Jazz hoped they were getting when he was drafted in 2023.
Jazz head coach Will Hardy conceded he made a mistake in calling a timeout on Sunday before Collin Sexton had a chance to attempt what would’ve been a go-ahead basket in the final seconds of Utah’s game vs. the Lakers (Twitter video link). After the game, Sexton said he understood why Hardy made the decision he did and didn’t blame him at all. As Tony Jones of The Athletic writes, while the one-point loss was a tough pill to swallow, the mature way the moment was handled showed there’s trust between the head coach and his players, an important sign in a challenging rebuilding year.

Western Rumors: Kings, Grant, Kessler, Moody, Looney, Rockets, A. Mitchell

December 2nd, 2024 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings are off to a disappointing 9-12 start this season, already 2.5 games back of a play-in spot in the Western Conference, prompting executives around the NBA to keep an eye on the situation in Sacramento to see if the front office will make another move to try to upgrade its roster, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Citing a “heightened sense of urgency” in Sacramento, Scotto suggests that teams talking to the Kings will be eager to see if the club is willing to part with first-round picks, rookie Devin Carter, or perhaps former No. 4 overall pick Keegan Murray, who has essentially been off the table in trade discussions in recent years.

For now, it seems safe to assume that the Kings will dangle Kevin Huerter and Trey Lyles in trade talks, according to Scotto, who points out that both players were also available last season. Between Huerter’s $16.8MM cap hit and Lyles’ $8MM expiring deal, Sacramento could get to about $25MM in matching salary and then sweeten an offer from there by adding draft capital and/or a young player.

Here are a few more Western Conference rumors from Scotto:

Although Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant and Jazz center Walker Kessler are both considered potential trade candidates, Portland has been unwilling to move Grant without getting two first-round picks back and Utah has sought at least two first-rounders for Kessler, Scotto writes. Teams with interest in Grant and Kessler have viewed the Blazers’ and Jazz’s asking prices as too high, Scotto notes.
Moses Moody signed a three-year contract extension with the Warriors before the season, but his role hasn’t increased at all, leading to speculation that he’s a player to monitor as a possible trade chip, says Scotto. “Moody could be part of a package in a bigger deal, and (head coach) Steve Kerr still doesn’t play him 20 minutes a game,” one league executive told HoopsHype. Moody would be subject to the poison pill provision if he’s dealt this season, which wouldn’t preclude a trade but would make it more complicated.
The Knicks, Thunder, and Grizzlies had “exploratory” trade interest in Warriors center Kevon Looney during the offseason before they addressed frontcourt holes in other ways, Scotto reports. Looney, who is on an $8MM expiring contract, has been Golden State’s leading rebounder (7.6 RPG) despite playing just 14.9 minutes per night.
Despite reports insisting the Rockets aren’t looking to break up their young core to acquire a player like Kevin Durant or Giannis Antetokounmpo, many rival executives believe it’s just a matter of when – not if – Houston makes a big splash on the trade market, according to Scotto. Those execs believe Jalen Green won’t be off limits in future Rockets trade talks, even after signing a three-year, $105MM+ contract extension in October.
Thunder rookie Ajay Mitchell, who has impressed in a rotation role this fall, is considered a strong candidate to be promoted from his two-way contract to the standard roster later this season, per Scotto. Oklahoma City currently has a full 15-man roster, but has some flexibility with its last roster spot, which is held by Branden Carlson on a non-guaranteed deal.

Trade Rumors: Collins, Jazz, Bulls, Nets, Zion, Butler

December 1st, 2024 at 5:29pm CST by Rory Maher

In each of the past two seasons, the Jazz started out surprisingly competitive, with .500 records in early February, only to sell off veterans and tank down the stretch to improve their lottery odds. With a 4-15 start to the 2024/25 campaign, Utah’s front office probably isn’t concerned about the team’s place in the reverse standings.

That doesn’t mean the Jazz won’t be listening to offers for their veterans again though, according to Marc Stein at Substack, who lists big man John Collins and guards Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton as three trade candidates to keep an eye on.

On paper, Collins put up solid numbers in ’23/24, which was his first season with Utah, averaging 15.1 PPG and 8.5 RPG on .532/.371/.795 shooting in 68 games (28.0 MPG). But there was a fairly long adjustment period between player and team — his fit was awkward at times in the frontcourt.

Collins has looked more comfortable — and been more productive — to open ’24/25, averaging 17.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 2.5 APG and 1.3 SPG (up from 1.1 and 0.6 last season, respectively) in approximately the same amount of minutes (28.7 MPG). His shooting line is currently .535/.353/.949.

The 27-year-old’s bounce-back season has Utah’s front office happy with the decision to acquire him from Atlanta for essentially a second-round pick, Stein writes. Collins is owed $25.8MM this season, with a $26.8MM player option for ’25/26, so his contract could prove more difficult to move than that of Clarkson, who is owed $14.1MM this season and $14.3MM in ’25/26, Stein adds. Sexton, meanwhile, will earn $18.4MM in ’24/25, followed by $19.2MM in ’25/26.

Here are some more trade rumors from around the NBA:

Like Jake Fischer, Stein hears the Bulls are considered a prominent seller ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline, with Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and Lonzo Ball considered the most likely candidates to be dealt. In fact, Stein says Chicago’s front office seems confident it will be able to trade “at least one” of those players in the next few months.
A surprisingly competitive 9-11 start reportedly won’t deter the Nets from trading away veterans, with Brooklyn expected to join Utah and Chicago as clear sellers. “Just about everyone on their roster is available as long as they don’t take back long-term money,” one source told Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Insider link). “(But) they’re not giving anyone away. At least not yet.” According to Stein, rival teams are particularly intrigued by the strong play of veteran point guard Dennis Schröder, who is on an expiring $13MM contract.
This isn’t a trade rumor, but Stein reports that there’s a “rising expectation” that Pelicans star Zion Williamson will hire Bill Duffy of WME Sports to be his next agent. Williamson, who is currently sidelined by a hamstring strain, recently parted ways with CAA. Duffy has several prominent clients around the NBA, per RealGM, including Vucevic, Luka Doncic, Scottie Barnes and Anthony Edwards, among others.
A number of teams are monitoring Jimmy Butler‘s situation with the Heat, Fischer said on a Bleacher Report livestream (video link). However, Fischer hasn’t heard any recent chatter specifically involving the six-time All-Star, who can be an unrestricted free next summer if he declines his $52.4MM player option for ’25/26.

Pelicans Notes: Williamson, Ingram, Agency Changes

December 1st, 2024 at 12:18pm CST by Luke Adams

Head coach Willie Green referred to them as “the best duo in the NBA” 13 months ago, but it’s time for the Pelicans to admit that the pairing of forwards Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram hasn’t panned out, contends Christian Clark of NOLA.com (subscription required).

As Clark details, injuries have consistently derailed any hope the Pelicans have had of building momentum behind Williamson and Ingram, who have played just 73 games together since Green was hired in July 2021.

Differences between the ways the two stars need to be motivated have also created a disconnect, according to Clark, who says that Williamson “requires regimen and structure,” whereas Ingram has been at his best under player-friendly coaches like Alvin Gentry and Green.

When David Griffin was hired as the Pelicans’ head of basketball operations in 2019, he had two opportunities that offseason to add a player who could be New Orleans’ “tentpole” star to build around, Clark writes. The front office acquired Ingram in the Anthony Davis trade and drafted Williamson with the No. 1 overall pick. However, Clark argues that there’s now enough evidence to show that neither one is the face of the franchise the team had hoped they could become.

Here’s more on the Pelicans:

Communication has been an issue throughout Williamson’s tenure in New Orleans, according to Clark, who points to an example from this season’s opener – which the 24-year-old missed due to an illness – to illustrate that point. Williamson missed that morning’s shootaround, then showed up to the arena and was said to be a game-time decision before being ruled out. His lack of communication about his status left multiple team staffers “confused,” Clark says, setting the tone for the Pelicans’ disappointing fall.
While there were rumors that Williamson’s camp was dissatisfied with CAA for years before he parted ways with the agency in November, Ingram’s decision to leave Excel Sports Management came as more of a surprise, according to Clark.
Both Clark and Shamit Dua of In The N.O. reported that Ingram was expected to sign with Klutch Sports before Shams Charania of ESPN confirmed as much on Sunday. Dua speculates that Ingram made his agency change because Excel wasn’t able to secure him the type of extension he sought or a trade to a desired landing spot, whereas Klutch is known for “pulling out all the stops” for its clients. Williamson isn’t expected to follow Ingram to Klutch, Dua adds.
Multiple league sources tell Dua that the Pelicans and Jazz had discussions about a possible Ingram trade earlier this year, but that they hit a standstill due to the forward’s disinterest in signing in Utah long-term. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported this week that finding a team with whom Ingram would be willing to extend has been one of several factors complicating the Pelicans’ trade efforts.
In case you missed it, we also passed along a few Pelicans notes on Saturday evening.

Northwest Notes: Conley, Dillingham, Hartenstein, Sensabaugh, Blazers

November 27th, 2024 at 9:59am CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves, who fell to 8-9 on the season on Tuesday with a loss to Houston, have a Mike Conley problem, says Fred Katz of The Athletic.

As Katz outlines, Conley was an extremely valuable role player for Minnesota last season, organizing the offense and knocking down a carer-high 44.2% of his three-point attempts. So far this season, the veteran point guard has battled injuries and has seen his shooting percentages drop off to 31.9% from the field and 33.8% from beyond the arc.

Conley’s teammates still perform better on offense when he’s on the court to set them up, per Katz. The club has a +5.5 net rating during the 37-year-old’s 325 minutes this fall, compared to a -0.8 mark in the 501 minutes he hasn’t played. Minnesota has also lost all four games he has missed, so getting him healthy will help. But if the Timberwolves want to make another deep playoff run in 2025, they’ll likely need Conley to serve as a more reliable offensive threat than he has been so far.

As for the Wolves’ options when Conley is unavailable, they’ve tried using Donte DiVincenzo and Nickeil Alexander-Walker in the point guard role, but both players are better fits off the ball, notes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. As Hine writes, the team’s best alternative to Conley at the point may be rookie Rob Dillingham, who enjoyed his best game as a pro on Tuesday, racking up 12 points, seven assists, and five rebounds in 24 minutes of action. Minnesota was a +26 in those minutes.

“He’s been working extremely hard all year,” teammate Julius Randle said of the No. 8 overall pick. “And these past few games he’s got his number called and been ready for his moment.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Isaiah Hartenstein has been an ideal fit in his first two games with the Thunder (both wins), earning praise from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who called Hartenstein a “dream big man for a marquee guy,” according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Gilgeous-Alexander said he watched Hartenstein with the Knicks in the 2024 playoffs and knew he might be available in the offseason, but didn’t actively recruit him or encourage general manager Sam Presti to pursue him. “I leave the front office stuff to Sam,” he said. “Trust him really well. Obviously he reads minds. So I didn’t have to say anything. … We knew as a group and the world kinda knew there was a hole in us as a team last year. I think Isaiah fills that hole very well. Sam did a good job filling it. We are better because of it.”
The Jazz‘s decision to assign rookie Cody Williams to the G League for a stint with the Salt Lake City Stars should open up regular rotation minutes for second-year forward Brice Sensabaugh, as Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune details. Sensabaugh has had his two best scoring games of the season within the last week vs. the Spurs (18 points last Thursday and 16 points on Tuesday), but Utah still needs more from him on defense and as a rebounder, Larsen writes.
In a pair of mailbags for his Substack subscribers, Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report tackles several Trail Blazers-related questions, discussing Deni Avdija‘s role, Anfernee Simons‘s trade candidacy, and Shaedon Sharpe‘s ceiling, among other topics. Noting that both Simons and Scoot Henderson are off to slow starts this season, Highkin suggests the conditions aren’t ideal right now for a Simons trade — not only has Simons’ slump limited his trade value, but Henderson’s struggles mean Portland won’t feel comfortable handing the former No. 3 overall pick the keys to the offense.

Northwest Notes: Kessler, Markkanen, Murray, Hartenstein

November 23rd, 2024 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Jazz turned in their best defensive performance of the season Saturday, and it’s no coincidence that Walker Kessler was back on the court, writes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. After missing six games due to hip bursitis, Kessler returned to the starting lineup and provided a strong interior presence to shut down the Knicks.

Larsen notes that Utah limited New York to a season-worst 103.9 offensive rating, and when the Knicks were forced to set up their half-court offense, that rating dropped to a remarkable 69.7. Larsen adds that with Kessler serving as a deterrent, New York only attempted 11 shots at the rim in the entire game.

Kessler has also become a greater threat on offense in his third NBA season, Larsen states. His ability to roll to the rim frequently caused New York’s offense to collapse and set up open three-point shots.

“Obviously he’s a big target down there on the block, and he’s understanding that too, that he’s a big target,” Lauri Markkanen said. “So people are swarming him when he gets to the basket, and he’s smart enough to make those reads.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

The Jazz are utilizing Markkanen differently now than they were earlier in the season, Larsen observes in the same piece. They had been using him as a screener and letting him attack from the elbow after a defensive switch. However, opponents were countering that with double teams and forcing him to pass. Now Markkanen is coming off screens more often and making quick decisions once he touches the ball.
Jamal Murray‘s inconsistent shooting may be shortening the championship window for Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets, contends Sean Keeler of The Denver Post. Murray was 4-of-16 in Friday’s loss to Dallas and hasn’t been producing the way the team had hoped when it gave him a $209MM extension during the offseason. Add in a poor defensive rating, and Keeler suggests it may be time to consider benching Murray late in games. “We’ve got to find a way,” coach Michael Malone said after the loss. “And I have to find a way to help to get Jamal going.”
Isaiah Hartenstein‘s season debut this week provided an emotional lift for the Thunder, who had been getting bullied by larger teams with their top three big men sidelined, per Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman. The free agent addition played 29 minutes off the bench, posting 13 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks. He also formed an imposing defensive combination alongside Alex Caruso. “He breathed some life into us,” coach Mark Daigneault said.

Jazz Sign David Jones To Two-Way Contract

November 22nd, 2024 at 2:30pm CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 22: Jones’ two-way deal with the Jazz is now official, the team announced today in a press release. As previously reported, the team waived Preston to open up a two-way slot for Jones.

NOVEMBER 20: The Jazz and free agent wing David Jones have agreed to a two-way contract, agents Deirunas Visockas and Guillermo Bermejo tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Jones had a highly productive junior campaign for Memphis in 2023/24, averaging 21.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game on .459/.380/.797 shooting in 32 contests (32.3 MPG). A native of the Dominican Republic, Jones had previous collegiate stops at DePaul and St. John’s before transferring to the Tigers.

Shortly after going undrafted in June, Jones agreed to an two-way deal with the Sixers and played for Philadelphia’s Summer League teams in both Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, averaging 9.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 1.6 SPG in seven games (18.2 MPG). However, he was waived by the 76ers in September, just ahead of training camp, when the team needed to open up a two-way slot for Lester Quinones.

Jones began his first professional season playing for the Mexico City Capitanes in the G League this fall. He averaged 21.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 3.5 APG on .475/.316/.789 shooting in his first four NBAGL outings.

Utah doesn’t currently have a two-way slot available, so the club will have to waive one of its current two-way players (Jason Preston, Micah Potter, or Oscar Tshiebwe) in order to make room for Jones.

Rodney Hood Announces Retirement

November 21st, 2024 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA swingman Rodney Hood has decided to call it a career, telling ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that he’s retiring as a player (Twitter link).

“It was tough to retire,” Hood said within a longer statement detailing the various stages of his career. “But I’m at peace with it. I tried really hard to hold on. I had an Achilles tear and I was kind of a shell of myself. When I got a chance to get healthy again, I tried to play in the G League this past spring and got hurt again. It was just my body telling me that I needed to move on.”

After playing his college ball for Mississippi State and Duke, Hood was selected with the 23rd pick in the 2014 draft and began his NBA career with the Jazz. In addition to playing for Utah, he spent time with the Cavaliers, Trail Blazers, Raptors, Bucks, and Clippers over the course of eight years in the league.

Hood, 32, appeared in a total of 448 regular season games from 2014-22, averaging 10.4 points per game on .420/.366/.841 shooting. The Mississippi native also chipped in 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 24.5 minutes per night during the regular season and saw action in the playoffs with the Jazz, Cavs, and Blazers from 2017-19.

His best season came in 2017/18, when he averaged a career-high 14.7 PPG with a .381 3PT% in 60 games for Utah and Cleveland, earning a spot on one Sixth Man of the Year ballot at season’s end.

Hood indicated in his announcement that he envisions himself as a coaching role in the next phase of his career.

“I always felt like after my playing career is when I will make my big mark with helping younger guys get to the next level,” he said. “So I’m looking forward to that. I want to coach.

“It reminds me of the famous Roosevelt speech, ‘The man in the arena.’ I was in the arena. I wasn’t the best player, but I got a chance to be around and play against some of the best players that ever played. I think that gives me an insight. And I’ve also been through the mud. I dealt with injuries. I went through trades. Sometimes I was the No. 2 option, sometimes I was the last guy off the bench. I’ve been through it all. I plan to use my experiences to pour into others and help a lot of guys coming up in the game in his next phase of my life.”

Jazz To Waive Jason Preston

November 20th, 2024 at 4:49pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Jazz will waive two-way player Jason Preston, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Utah had to make a move to open up a two-way roster spot after it was reported earlier today that the team would ink free agent rookie swingman David Jones to a two-way deal. Scotto notes that Preston has been sidelined due to a calf strain.

A 6’4″ point guard, Preston was initially selected with the No. 33 pick in 2021 out of Ohio University and began his NBA career with the Clippers. He missed his entire rookie season with a right foot injury and was cut ahead of the 2023/24 season after appearing in 14 NBA games in ’22/23.

Preston began last season with the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ G League squad, then caught on with the Jazz in January on a two-way deal. He spent the rest of the season shuttling between the NBA roster and the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s NBAGL affiliate.

Across 21 career NBA contests with the Clippers and Jazz, Preston has averaged 2.5 points, 2.0 assists and 1.9 rebounds per game.

In 52 G League regular season games with the Ontario Clippers, Hustle and Stars, Preston holds averages of 16.5 PPG, 8.6 APG, 7.7 RPG, and 1.2 SPG on .490/.406/.862 shooting. He recorded 10 triple-doubles with the Hustle and Stars last year, Scotto notes.

According to Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link), it is anticipated that Preston will remain in Salt Lake City during his rehab from the calf strain. Utah is said to like Preston and has interest in potentially bringing him back in some capacity when he recuperates.