WEDNESDAY, 11:29am: The deal is official, the team announced.
TUESDAY, 11:51am: The Jazz are expected to sign Elliot Williams to a 10-day contract soon, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The 25-year-old combo guard is in Salt Lake City to take a physical, Spears adds. The Jazz have 15 players, including Elijah Millsap, who signed a 10-day deal Monday, so the team would need to make a corresponding move if it wants to bring Williams aboard before Millsap’s 10 days are up.
Williams, the 22nd overall pick in 2010, would help shore up a Utah backcourt that’s suffering from the absences of Alec Burks, who’s done for the year, and Patrick Christopher and Rodney Hood, who are out indefinitely. The Sixers let go of Williams just before opening night, but a few days later he became the No. 2 overall pick in the D-League draft. The 25-year-old Thad Foucher client has justified that selection, running up 21.3 points, 7.7 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 37.2 minutes per game for the affiliate of the Warriors in 16 appearances this season.
Christopher and Joe Ingles are the only members of the Jazz on non-guaranteed contracts, and Wednesday is the last day the team can waive them without guaranteeing their salaries for the season. The Jazz have planned to clear multiple roster spots, as Jody Genessy of the Deseret News hears (Twitter links). Utah can let go of Millsap anytime, though the team is responsible for a full 10 days’ worth of salary to him regardless of when the Jazz would cut ties.