Hoops Rumors Weekly Mailbag 8/23/15-8/29/15
In addition to our weekly chat, which Chuck Myron facilitates every Wednesday, we have a second opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap, or the NBA draft? Drop me a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com or @EddieScarito on Twitter. Now for this week’s inquiries:
“What are your thoughts on Michael Kidd-Gilchrist‘s contract extension? Is he worth the money in your opinion?“ — Jason
I keep having to remind myself that the salary cap is going to jump next Summer when considering each new deal that is handed out. If I look at the current salary structure that exists in the NBA, then $13MM for a wing who can’t shoot from the outside seems a bit high to me. But beginning next season, that figure will probably be in line with what players of Kidd-Gilchrist’s talent level will be pulling down.
Charlotte isn’t really a free agent destination for players, which means that it’s vital for the franchise to retain the players it has taken the time to nurture and develop. That’s one of the reasons why I think that it was a wise move to lock up Kidd-Gilchrist for four more seasons, or at least three, if he decides to opt out of the final season of the deal. His defensive prowess, leadership, hustle, and superior athleticism are the other factors that make the young forward a keeper. While it’s not ideal in today’s NBA to have a starting three who isn’t a threat from the outside, possessing a player who can shut down opponents’ top scorers on a nightly basis certainly is an excellent trade off.
One area of concern though is with Kidd-Gilchrist’s ability to remain healthy and on the court. The 21-year-old has missed roughly 29% of Charlotte’s games the last two seasons, which isn’t great. But no matter my thoughts, in the end, I don’t believe that the Hornets had any other choice but to extend Kidd-Gilchrist. With quite a few teams expected to have ample cap space to throw around next offseason, it’s more than likely that Charlotte would have been forced to pony up at least $13MM per season to match any offer sheets that Kidd-Gilchrist were to sign as a restricted free agent anyway.
“Who do you see being the top pick in next year’s NBA Draft?” — Scott
Wow. Questions about the 2016 draft already! I guess it’s never too early to look forward to adding a potential star player for lottery bound teams…unless you’re talking about the Knicks, who will send their first-rounder to Toronto for having had the privilege of Andrea Bargnani sitting behind their bench in street clothes for 95 of the 164 games he was part of the team for. And yes, I am still working out some feelings regarding that trade…
Back to your question, it’s extremely early to definitively predict who will be the first player off the board next June. After all, Jahlil Okafor was the overwhelming choice in most preseason mock drafts last year to be the No. 1 overall pick in 2015, and he fell to No. 3 overall. That just shows what an inexact science player scouting can be. But the early favorite to be the first name intoned by Adam Silver next June is LSU freshman Ben Simmons. Simmons is 6’10” and plays the game like a point guard. The sky is the limit for the 18-year-old, and he certainly has the potential to become a superstar in the NBA. Simmons stiffest competition for the top spot is Kentucky center Skal Labissiere, who should be the next great Wildcat big man.
“What are your thoughts on the Clippers being fined for offering DeAndre Jordan an endorsement deal as part of their pitch?” — Benny
I don’t think it’s a big deal at all really. The fine imposed by the NBA is mere pocket change to an owner as rich as Steve Ballmer is, so the Clippers organization will be just fine. The situation hasn’t reached the conspiracy level associated with the Patriots and “Deflategate,” as well it shouldn’t be. I’d hazard a guess that this sort of deal sweetener is not at all uncommon during negotiations in the NBA, and it’s only coming to light because of the highly unusual circumstances attached to Jordan’s free agent flip-flop on where to sign. I’d also like to take a moment to commend the Mavs’ organization for not trying to turn this into a bigger issue than it really is. While the league’s investigation determined that the Lexus endorsement offer that Jordan was offered didn’t influence him to return to Los Angeles, one can never know for sure if it played a part, no matter how small. Dallas could have made some noise about this, but it has seemingly moved on, which is a good thing for all involved.
In the end, Ballmer’s wallet is a little lighter, Jordan is back where he wants to play, and Dallas still needs a starting center. The league stepped in and meted out a fair punishment, and everyone involved seems satisfied and ready to move on. If this was the NFL we’d be talking about this situation for months, so kudos to the NBA for handling the whole affair swiftly and professionally.
That’s all for this week. Thanks to all those who submitted questions. Please keep them coming in. I’ll be off next Saturday, so I’ll return in two weeks with the next installment.
Suns Sign Cory Jefferson, Henry Sims
SATURDAY, 3:15pm: The signings are official, according to the RealGM transactions log. No formal announcement has been made by the Suns.
TUESDAY, 6:16pm: The Suns have agreed to training camp deals with Henry Sims and Cory Jefferson, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic reports. The length and terms of the contracts are unknown, but they are likely minimum salary agreements that include little or no guaranteed money, though that is merely my speculation. Phoenix already has 15 players on its roster, including 13 with fully guaranteed pacts.
Sims, 25, made 73 appearances for the Sixers last season, including 32 starts. He averaged 8.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 19.2 minutes per contest. His career numbers through three NBA campaigns are 7.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 1.1 APG to go along with a slash line of .475/.174/.760. The big man wasn’t tendered a qualifying offer by Philadelphia this offseason, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Jefferson, the final pick of the 2014 draft, appeared in 50 games for the Nets this past season, averaging 3.7 points in 10.6 minutes per game. The 6’9″ forward was waived by Brooklyn back in July so the team could avoid his non-guaranteed salary becoming partially guaranteed for $150K.
Poll: 2003 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 7)
Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. While life, and the NBA, doesn’t allow for such opportunities, we at Hoops Rumors decided it would be fun to give our readers a second take at picking players, complete with the benefit of hindsight.
We are in the process of taking you on a journey back to June of 2003, and revisiting a draft that saw the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh available to potentially change the fortunes of a few struggling franchises. Wade was the first of that group to win an NBA championship, though James and Bosh would later join him in Miami and go on to win multiple titles together years later, while Melo is still seeking his first trip to the NBA Finals. Detroit, which owned the No. 2 overall pick that season, chose to go with Darko Milicic, who didn’t work out so well for the Pistons. Not all picks pan out, but that one is especially painful given the talent that the Pistons passed over to select the big man, who owns career averages of 6.0 points and 4.2 rebounds, and has been out of the NBA since making a single appearance for the Celtics back in 2012/13.
We continue our revisionist history with the Bulls, who used the No. 7 overall pick in 2003 to select Kirk Hinrich, who is still a member of the team. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Chicago’s pick and check back Monday for the results, as well as to cast your vote for who the Bucks will select with the No. 8 pick that the team had acquired from Atlanta. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the No. 7 overall pick and why you voted the way that you did.
Previous Picks
- Cavaliers: LeBron James
- Pistons: Dwyane Wade
- Nuggets: Carmelo Anthony
- Raptors: Chris Bosh
- Heat: David West
- Clippers: Kyle Korver
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2015 NBA Draft Grades: Central Division
The 2015 NBA Draft is squarely in the rearview and a number of draftees have already provided a taste of what is to come with their summer league play. I held off on my grades until now because I wanted a better context in which to evaluate each team’s selections, with free agency and summer league providing greater perspective. Sometimes, selecting the best available player isn’t the best course of action and it is wiser to nab a player who fits a clear need, which should always be considered when rating how each front office fared in the draft. I’ve already ran down my thoughts on the Atlantic Division, and next up is a look at the Central Division:
Chicago Bulls
Team Needs: Youth, backcourt depth, backup point guard, center.
Draft Picks:
- No. 22 Overall — Bobby Portis, PF, Arkansas
The Bulls are a franchise caught between trying to contend and attempting to retool on the fly. Chicago has missed a number of prime opportunities to make it through a weakened Eastern Conference to the NBA Finals, but injuries to key players have derailed its grand designs each of the last few seasons. While the Bulls don’t possess many glaring needs, the franchise is in need of depth at a number of key spots, most critically at point guard, where Derrick Rose is an annual injury risk, and center, where Joakim Noah is beginning to break down.
Selecting Arkansas’ Bobby Portis didn’t address either of those areas, and in fact, he plays one of the positions that the Bulls are deepest at — power forward. But Portis is a talented player whose high motor makes him a good bet to develop into a key reserve, though whether or not he’ll be able to earn any minutes this season is certainly up for debate with Pau Gasol, Taj Gibson, and Nikola Mirotic all on the team’s depth chart ahead of him.
Looking at the Bulls’ current roster, the team could have really benefited from snagging a young point guard to develop behind Rose. Duke playmaker Tyus Jones was still on the board when Chicago was on the clock, likewise Oregon’s Joseph Young, either of whom would have filled a more pressing need than Portis. Granted, neither Jones nor Young are projected to become stars in the league, but both could develop into solid professionals, and bolstered the Bulls’ backcourt as well.
Overall Draft Grade: C+. While I like Portis as a player and believe he provides solid value at pick No. 22, Chicago had more pressing needs that should have been addressed.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Team Needs: Cap space, depth at center and on the wing.
Draft Picks:
- No. 31 Overall — Cedi Osman, G/F, Macedonia*
- No. 36 Overall — Rakeem Christmas, F/C, Syracuse**
- No. 53 Overall — Sir’Dominic Pointer, SF, St. John’s
*Acquired from the Timberwolves along with a 2019 second round pick in exchange for the rights to Tyus Jones.
*Acquired from the Pacers in exchange for a 2019 second round pick.
The Cavs were more concerned about avoiding adding another fully guaranteed contract to their cap figure than snagging a player who could help them during the 2015/16 campaign. That was the primary reason that the team dealt away the No. 24 overall pick to Minnesota, which was used to select promising young point guard Tyus Jones from Duke. The addition of Jones probably wouldn’t have had much of an impact on the court next season for the Cavs, but the franchise definitely missed out on an opportunity to land a young backup who it could have developed behind Kyrie Irving, who is possibly out of action until January.
It’s understandable, given Cleveland’s luxury tax situation, that the franchise would want to avoid the significant luxury tax hit that would have been attached to a first-rounder, but I do feel that the team didn’t maximize its three second round choices, which is certainly a shame. With needs in the frontcourt, as well as on the wing, the Cavs instead went for a draft-and-stash pick at No. 31 overall with Cedi Osman. Still on the draft board at the top of the second round were Jordan Mickey, Montrezl Harrell, Pat Connaughton, Joseph Young, and Dakari Johnson, all of whom could have been potential contributors off the bench this coming season for Cleveland.
Overall Draft Grade: D. Cleveland saved some cap space by trading out of the first round, but failed to take full advantage of its three second round picks.
Detroit Pistons
Team Needs: Small forward, frontcourt depth.
Draft Picks:
- No. 8 Overall — Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona
- No. 38 Overall — Darrun Hilliard, SF, Villanova
For better or worse, the Pistons’ selection of Arizona’s Stanley Johnson will always be linked to the Heat’s choice of Justise Winslow at pick No. 10. Many scouts and league personnel ranked Winslow as the better overall prospect, and a number of mock drafts even had Winslow as a top five pick. But Stan Van Gundy obviously saw something in Johnson that he couldn’t pass up, and the Heat were the beneficiaries of that decision.
Johnson is a solid player with an NBA-ready frame, but there are questions about what position he is best suited for, as well as his suspect outside game. The Pistons desperately need shooters who can stretch the floor for big man Andre Drummond, which isn’t Johnson’s strength. The young forward is a beast in the open court, but he tended to rely too heavily on his superior strength to get to the rim while at Arizona, which is something that he won’t be able to do when matched against NBA defenders. Johnson is an excellent defender himself, and he can guard multiple positions, a skill that should allow him to log significant minutes during his rookie campaign regardless of his offensive output.
Hilliard is a grinder who plays solid defense and has a decent outside shot. But he’s a player who is more likely to play in the D-League or overseas than have a notable NBA career. There were a number of players still available at pick No. 38, including Joseph Young and Dakari Johnson, both of whom have much higher upsides than Hilliard.
Overall Draft Grade: B-. While I personally think that Winslow will become the better NBA player, the selection of Johnson fills one of the team’s most glaring needs.
Indiana Pacers
Team Needs: Center, point guard, depth.
Draft Picks:
- No. 11 Overall — Myles Turner, C, Texas
- No. 43 Overall — Joseph Young, G, Oregon
The Pacers have stated their desire to become a more athletic and faster-paced offensive team this coming season, and their picks in the 2015 NBA Draft certainly reflect that new philosophy. Gone is lumbering big man Roy Hibbert, and arriving is athletic center Myles Turner from the University of Texas. While there have been concerns that Turner’s somewhat awkward running style will open him up to increased injury risk, the big man’s improved gait during summer league play has quieted many scouts who had expressed their doubts in the weeks prior to June’s event.
Turner, while extremely young and raw, has immense talent, and he could end up being one of the best players in the entire 2015 draft. He’s likely to struggle mightily this season to adjust to the NBA game, especially on the defensive end after what could be considered a lost season at Texas. But snagging Turner at No. 11 overall should make Indiana executive Larry Bird look pretty smart in a few seasons, and Turner should evolve into one of the anchors who the team builds around for the future. It does remain to be seen if Turner can handle the rigors of being a full-time NBA center, or if he’ll be better suited for a stretch four role. Either way, Indiana landed themselves a starting-caliber player who requires a bit of patience while developing.
As much as I like the selection of Turner, I love Indiana grabbing Oregon speedster Joseph Young mid way through the second round. A foot injury limited Young’s pre-draft workouts, but he is an explosive scorer with off-the-charts athleticism, and he is the likeliest of all the 2015 second-rounders to become an impact player in the league. Young will struggle to get playing time this season, and is more likely to light up scoreboards in the D-League in 2015/16 than in the NBA, but the Pacers made a great choice at the No. 43 overall spot with Young.
Overall Draft Grade: A. The Pacers landed themselves two potential impact players, both of whom could be considered steals at their respective draft slots.
Milwaukee Bucks
Team Needs: Frontcourt depth, outside shooting.
Draft Picks:
- No. 17 Overall — Rashad Vaughn, SG, UNLV
While Milwaukee made its biggest offseason move with the addition of Greg Monroe via free agency, the team also did extremely well on draft night in snagging young shooting guard Rashad Vaughn with the No. 17 overall pick. Vaughn is extremely raw, and will likely take a couple of seasons to fully develop and hit his stride as a professional. But he possesses the ability to be a top 10 scorer in the league, and his ability to fill up the hoop from the outside will mesh well with a rapidly improving Bucks team that should be firmly in the playoff mix this season.
The team dealt away its second round pick to the Raptors as part of the trade that landed Greivis Vasquez in Milwaukee. Toronto used that selection, No. 46 overall, to select UCLA shooting guard Norman Powell, a player with quite a bit of upside, but who wouldn’t have made much of an impact for the Bucks this season.
Overall Draft Grade: A-. Vaughn will take some time to develop, but he could end up being one of the best players in this year’s draft. Solid addition by the Bucks in landing an exciting young talent who also fills a need for the club.
Hoops Rumors Originals 8/23/15-8/29/15
Here’s a look back at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week…
- In his weekly column, Sam Amico, the founder and editor of AmicoHoops.net and a broadcast journalist for Fox Sports Ohio, looked at what’s in store for the Trail Blazers this season.
- If you missed the week’s live chat, you can view the transcript here.
- Chuck Myron ran down who the longest tenured player for each team currently is.
- We posted our initial 2016 Free Agent Power Rankings.
- In a reader poll, Chris Crouse asked who should be the Mavs’ starting center this season, to which the majority responded that JaVale McGee should be on the court for the opening tip.
- I broke down the 2015/16 salary cap commitments for the Heat, Bucks, Timberwolves, and Pelicans.
- Chuck looked at how the use of the stretch provision in August helped teams.
- Dana Gauruder profiled Andre Drummond as an extension candidate, while Will Joseph broke down Jared Sullinger, and Chuck examined Donatas Motiejunas. You can find all of the completed profiles here.
- Zach Links highlighted some of the better basketball blogs around in his weekly installment of Hoops Links.
- Chuck took a look back at previous contract negotiations for clients of agent Rich Paul.
- We asked readers to vote on who they would select if they had the chance to redo the the 2003 NBA Draft. Here are the results for the No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, and No.6 picks.
- If you missed any of our daily reader-driven discussions, be sure to check out the Community Shootaround archives.
- Chuck looked at how the class of 2011 followed up their rookie scale deals.
- I answered reader questions in Hoops Rumors Weekly Mailbag.
- Here’s how you can follow Hoops Rumors on social media and RSS feeds.
- We ran down the players expected to hit free agency in 2017.
- We reviewed our commenting policy. Play nice everyone.
Week In Review 8/23/15-8/29/15
The NBA fined the Clippers $250K for violating the league’s rules against circumventing the salary cap in their pitch to DeAndre Jordan last month. The Clippers presented Jordan with a potential third-party endorsement opportunity during their meeting with him on July 2nd. That was before Jordan gave his commitment to the Mavericks, one that came undone when he later expressed second thoughts to the Clippers, who convinced him to re-sign.
The league’s investigation concluded that the violation didn’t influence Jordan’s ultimate decision to return to the team. However, the NBA is imposing the fine anyway, since rules prohibit teams from arranging compensation for players outside of the salary set forth via the contractual terms allowed under the collective bargaining agreement. Here’s the rest of the happenings from the week that was…
Free Agent Signings
Eastern Conference
- The Heat signed unrestricted free agent center Keith Benson to a camp deal.
- The Wizards agreed to a training camp deal with Toure’ Murry.
Western Conference
- The Suns agreed to training camp deals with Henry Sims and Cory Jefferson.
- The Lakers signed guard Michael Frazier.
- The Jazz signed Jeff Withey.
- The Suns signed Deonte Burton to a camp deal.
- The Jazz signed unrestricted free agent forward J.J. O’Brien.
- The Thunder agreed to a training camp deal with Talib Zanna.
- The Kings agreed to a deal with shooting guard Marshall Henderson.
You can stay up to date on all of the signings with Hoops Rumors’ free agent tracker.
Contract Extensions
- The Hornets signed forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to a four-year, $52MM contract extension.
Miscellaneous News
- Former NBA guard Gal Mekel signed a deal with the Serbian team Crvena Zvezda.
- The Heat and the D-League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce formally extended their one-to-one affiliation deal.
- Point guard Marcelo Huertas, who had planned a jump to the NBA this season and had been expected to draw significant interest, has instead signed with Galatasaray of Turkey.
- The Lakers promoted Ryan West to director of player personnel.
- James Nunnally signed with Sidigas Avellino of the Italian Serie A.
- Jordan Hamilton signed a deal to play overseas for the Russian club Krasny Oktyabr.
- Pacers draft-and-stash prospect Stanko Barac signed with Olimpia Milano of Italy.
- Carlos Boozer is reportedly likely to remain unsigned for the rest of the offseason and instead seek a deal with a playoff contender after the season starts.
- The Suns officially named Chris Jent the head coach of their one-to-one D-League affiliate.
- Luka Mitrovic, the 60th pick in this year’s draft, agreed to an extension with Crvena Zvezda of Serbia that runs through the 2016/17 season.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 8/28/15
The NBA fined the Clippers $250K for a violation of the league’s rules against circumventing the salary cap during their free agency pitch to DeAndre Jordan. During their meeting with the big man on July 2nd, the Clippers presented Jordan with a potential third-party endorsement opportunity with Lexus that would pay the center $200K annually. That was before Jordan gave his commitment to the Mavericks, an agreement that later came undone when he expressed second thoughts about leaving the Clippers, who convinced him to re-sign.
The league’s investigation concluded that the violation didn’t influence Jordan’s ultimate decision to return to the team. But the NBA imposed the fine anyway, since rules prohibit teams from arranging compensation for players outside of the salary set forth via the contractual terms allowed under the collective bargaining agreement. The violation was unintentional, owner Steve Ballmer wrote in an internal memo he sent to members of the Clippers organization that Dan Woike of the Orange County Register obtained.
“As I shared with everyone on day one of purchasing the Team, being part of the Clippers family means operating with the highest integrity,” Ballmer wrote in part. “We believed we were doing this the right way, and any circumvention was inadvertent. In our effort to support our players in every way possible, we as an organization must be diligent in complying with the CBA.”
This brings me to the topic of the day: Was the league’s punishment of the Clippers fair? If not, what penalty should have been handed down from the NBA?
If you were a member of the Mavericks organization, would you feel satisfied with the Clippers simply having to pay a $250K fine? Or would you argue that no matter what the official findings, the endorsement deal could have indeed played a part in Jordan reversing course and heading back to L.A.? Would a penalty as severe as a forfeiture of a future draft pick be warranted in your eyes? Or are you on the other side of the argument and feel that the punishment was too severe? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the issue. Feel free to expand the boundaries of the discussion if need be. We look forward to what you have to say.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Anthony, Scott
The Knicks need to show that the team has some forward momentum this season if the franchise wants to have a shot at landing premier free agents next offseason, Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) writes. Doolittle points to the Bucks as an example, who despite their small market, managed to sign Greg Monroe this Summer, a player who the major market Knicks had their sights on. If the Knicks are unable to show improvement in the win column over last year’s squad, then no amount of available cap space will be able to convince stars like Kevin Durant that New York is a preferred free agent destination, Doolittle concludes.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- There’s an excellent chance that the Knicks will explore trading Carmelo Anthony this season, Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report opines (video link). New York will likely wait to see how the roster performs at the start of the season, and if the team doesn’t look to be headed toward the playoffs, then it could look to deal Melo, possibly to the Bulls, Bucher notes. Anthony’s contract does include a no-trade clause, so the forward would have to be on board with any potential swap.
- The Raptors gave recent training camp signee Shannon Scott a partial guarantee of $25K on his minimum salary deal, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays (Twitter link).
- Despite some skeptics saying that the Nets have the worst starting point guard in the league in Jarrett Jack, forward Thaddeus Young said during an interview on SiriusXM NBA Radio, that the team has full confidence in Jack’s ability to lead them, Tom Lorenzo of NetsDaily writes.
Poll: 2003 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 6)
Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. While life, and the NBA, doesn’t allow for such opportunities, we at Hoops Rumors decided it would be fun to give our readers a second take at picking players, complete with the benefit of hindsight.
We are in the process of taking you on a journey back to June of 2003, and revisiting a draft that saw the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh available to potentially change the fortunes of a few struggling franchises. Wade was the first of that group to win an NBA championship, though James and Bosh would later join him in Miami and go on to win multiple titles together years later, while Melo is still seeking his first trip to the NBA Finals. Detroit, which owned the No. 2 overall pick that season, chose to go with Darko Milicic, who didn’t work out so well for the Pistons. Not all picks pan out, but that one is especially painful given the talent that the Pistons passed over to select the big man, who owns career averages of 6.0 points and 4.2 rebounds, and has been out of the NBA since making a single appearance for the Celtics back in 2012/13.
We continue our revisionist history with the Clippers, who used the No. 6 overall pick in 2003 to select Chris Kaman, whose tenure in Los Angeles would last eight glorious seasons. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for L.A.’s pick and check back Saturday for the results, as well as to cast your vote for who the Bulls will select with the No. 7 overall pick. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the No. 6 overall pick and why you voted the way that you did.
Previous Picks
- Cavaliers: LeBron James
- Pistons: Dwyane Wade
- Nuggets: Carmelo Anthony
- Raptors: Chris Bosh
- Heat: David West
If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here.
Jazz Sign J.J. O’Brien
The Jazz have signed unrestricted free agent forward J.J. O’Brien, the team announced. The length and terms of the deal were not relayed, but it is likely a minimum salary training camp deal that may include a small partial guarantee, though that is merely my speculation.
O’Brien, 23, went undrafted this year out of San Diego State after making 36 appearances as a senior, averaging 10.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. His career NCAA numbers are 8.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 1.6 APG with a slash line of .471/.247/.601.
The 6’7″ forward played summer league ball for Utah in both Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. The addition of O’Brien will give the Jazz a roster count of 20, which is the preseason maximum.