Utah Jazz Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Notes: Sixers’ Plans, Heat Workouts, Sorber, Mock

June 14th, 2025 at 9:56am CST by Earnest Marshall

Confirming a recent report that stated the Sixers have talked to the Spurs about the possibility about the No. 2 overall pick, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer notes that moving up to draft Dylan Harper would give Philadelphia the sort of point guard the team has long coveted. Harper would pair nicely with Tyrese Maxey while Jared McCain and Quentin Grimes could split on/off-ball duties.

If the Sixers don’t make a deal for the No. 2 pick, it remains unclear whether they’ll stick at No. 3 or trade down. The third pick feels like an early turning point in the draft, with the Sixers reportedly impressed by Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe and, according to Pompey, split on Harper’s Rutgers teammate Ace Bailey.

In 30 games last year, Bailey averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.

We have more rumors related to the draft:

San Francisco guard Marcus Williams and Kansas guard Zeke Mayo have worked out for the Heat, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. Neither player is projected to be drafted, but Miami has a strong history of developing overlooked players. Williams averaged 15.1 points and 4.3 assists per game last year while Mayo averaged 14.6 PPG. Both players shot over 40.0% from three. Rounding up recent mocks, Jackson writes that Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf and Rasheer Fleming are among popular picks for the Heat if they stick with their 20th overall selection.
Georgetown center Thomas Sorber visited with the Jazz, according to The Athletic’s Tony Jones (Twitter link). Sorber is recovering from a season-ending foot injury, so he didn’t work out but instead had dinner with team officials and underwent a medical evaluation. Sorber is ESPN’s 18th best-available prospect and the Jazz hold picks Nos. 5, 21, 43 and 53.
HoopsHype updated its aggregate mock draft that combines evaluations from 10 major sites to provide a consensus prediction. Bailey remains at No. 3 with Edgecombe going fourth to the Hornets. Jeremiah Fears (mocked sixth to the Wizards) and Cedric Coward (mocked 15th to the Thunder) are among the notable risers.

Draft Workouts: Jazz, Wolves, Kings, Broome

June 12th, 2025 at 5:56pm CST by Rory Maher

The Jazz are hosting a pre-draft workout on Friday featuring Colorado State wing Nique Clifford, North Carolina wing Drake Powell, Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner and Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier, multiple league sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Clifford is the top-ranked prospect of the group, according to ESPN’s big board, coming in at No. 22. Powell (No. 31), Kalkbrenner (No. 33) and Lanier (No. 37) are also viewed as strong bets to be drafted, either late in the first round or early in the second.

Utah currently controls four picks — Nos. 5, 21, 43 and 53 — in June’s draft.

Here are a few more notes regarding pre-draft workouts:

The Timberwolves, who control the 17th and 31st picks, are holding a workout Thursday that includes Asa Newell (Georgia), Jamir Watkins (Florida State), Keshon Gilbert (Iowa State) and Steven Crowl (Wisconsin), reports Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News and SKOR North (via Twitter). Newell, who was invited to the green room, is ranked No. 21 on ESPN’s board, while Watkins is No. 39. The other two players are unranked.
The Kings will be hosting six players for a workout on Friday, the team announced (Twitter link via Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee). The six are Ryan Nembhard of Gonzaga, Curtis Jones of Iowa State, Koby Brea of Kentucky, Kadary Richmond of, Norchad Omier of Baylor, and Vladislav Goldin of Michigan. All six prospects appear on ESPN’s board, ranging from No. 47 (Brea) to No. 95 (Omier). Sacramento currently only controls the 42nd pick, but is rumored to be interested in moving into the first round.
Big man Johni Broome, the 40th-ranked prospect on ESPN’s list, had a workout with the Warriors today, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. The former Auburn star said he has previously worked out for the Clippers, Pistons, Hawks, Nets, Raptors and Celtics, and has upcoming workouts scheduled with the Thunder, Timberwolves and Suns, according to Rankin. Golden State controls the 41st pick.

Western Notes: Kidd, Blazers, Kings, Nelson, Nuggets

June 10th, 2025 at 5:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Letting Jason Kidd go to the Knicks would be a terrible outcome for the Mavericks, according to Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News. There’s reportedly mutual interest between Kidd and the Knicks.

Under Kidd, Dallas has won five playoff series in four seasons. Cowlishaw also notes that Kyrie Irving likes Kidd and believes in him. In Cowlishaw’s viewpoint, the only way general manager Nico Harrison‘s vision for the current group will work is dependent on Anthony Davis staying healthy and Irving getting healthy and remaining happy. If Cooper Flagg then plays up to his draft status, the Mavs have a chance to secure a title in 2026/27 before the window of opportunity runs out for their aging stars.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

Arthur Kaluma (Texas), Gabe Madsen (Utah), Chibuzo Agbo (USC), Alex Toohey (Sydney Kings), Jahmai Mashack (Tennessee) and Dylan Cardwell (Auburn) worked out for the Trail Blazers on Tuesday, Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report tweets. Toohey is the biggest name in the group, as the Australian forward is ranked No. 36 on ESPN’s Best Available list.
Jeremy Roach (Baylor), Caleb Love (Arizona), Jaxson Robinson (Kentucky), John Tonje (Wisconsin), Great Osobor (Washington), CJ Huntley (Appalachian State) will work out for the Kings on Wednesday, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee tweets. That group is headed by Tonje (19.6 PPG with the Badgers last season), a high-scoring guard who is ranked No. 42 by ESPN.
Grant Nelson (Alabama) is expected to reschedule a workout with the Jazz, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. Nelson, who worked out for the Nets on Tuesday, is currently rated 65th by ESPN.
Though the Nuggets took the Thunder to a Game 7 in these playoffs, they can’t afford to run it back with the same group, Sean Keeler of the Denver Post opines. The bench is in serious need of upgrades, Keeler argues, as the Nuggets basically went six deep this season and that forced the starters to empty their tanks.

Western Notes: Gafford, Lakers, Kings, Jazz

June 9th, 2025 at 8:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mavericks big man Daniel Gafford would be a good trade target for the Lakers but they’d probably have to overpay to get him, Jovan Buha of The Athletic stated on his Buha’s Block podcast (YouTube link; hat tip to BasketNews.com).

Buha speculated that it would require a package of Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht and a first-round pick to get Dallas’ attention. Gafford will make $14.4MM in the final year of his contract next season, making him a prime trade candidate on a team with frontcourt depth.

We have more from the Western Conference:

Camryn Carter (LSU), Tyrese Proctor (Duke). TJ Bamba (Oregon), Jahmai Mashack (Tennessee), Alex Toohey (Sydney) and Mohamed Diawara (Cholet) worked out for the Kings on Monday, James Ham of The Kings Beat tweets. Toohey, a forward, is rated No. 36 overall by ESPN and Proctor is No. 43 on their Best Available list.
The Jazz are promoting Marquis Newman to director of pro scouting and Katie Benzan to general manager of the NBA G League’s Salt Lake City Stars, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. Newman has spent 11 years with the Jazz. Benzan, who was hired by Utah in 2022, will become the second current female GM in the G League.
There’s hope for the Jazz if they take their cue from the Pacers and Thunder, Gordon Monson of the Salt Lake Tribune opines. They should study how these teams were built and developed and their style of play, Monson writes, to establish a blueprint for another small-market franchise like the Jazz.

How Can Young Players Improve? Also Add Stars Coach As Assistant

June 7th, 2025 at 12:32pm CST by Rory Maher

How can the Jazz‘s recent draft picks improve this offseason? In a subscriber-only story for The Salt Lake Tribune, Andy Larsen relays comments from GM Justin Zanik and head coach Will Hardy about how Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George, Brice Sensabaugh, Cody Williams, Isaiah Collier and Kyle Filipowski can take the next steps in their development. Hardy said defense and shooting discipline are top priorities for George, Larsen writes. “Keyonte has got to improve his defense. His defense can be improved in a variety of ways,” the coach said. “Some of it is the mental aspect, but there also is an element of his conditioning and his physical strength” that can be improved as well.
The Jazz have promoted Steve Wojciechowski to be an assistant on Hardy’s staff, the team announced in a press release. Wojciechowski, a longtime assistant at his alma mater Duke and the former head coach at Marquette, has been the head coach of the Jazz’s NBA G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, the past two seasons. Wojciechowski compiled a 41-17 regular season record with the Stars and led the club to consecutive playoff berths.

Draft Rumors: Maluach, Raynaud, Niederhauser, Coward

June 5th, 2025 at 4:03pm CST by Rory Maher

Duke center Khaman Maluach may be moving up draft boards after a “wildly positive” pro day in which he showcased his shooting touch, writes Jonathan Wasserman of Hoops HQ.

According to Wasserman, some NBA scouts believe that Maluach has a chance to be selected in the top five of this month’s draft, perhaps by the Hornets (No. 4) or Jazz (No. 5). The South Sudanese big man is ranked No. 6 on ESPN’s best available prospects list.

Here are a few more draft rumors from Wasserman:

Stanford center Maxime Raynaud was one of the big winners of the pre-draft process, excelling in the first day of scrimmages and measuring better than some other big men in the class. While scouts initially thought Raynaud had moved himself into late first-round territory after the combine, they now think he could be selected in the teens or early 20s, Wasserman writes.
Penn State big man Yanic Konan Niederhauser is another player who shined during the pre-draft process, particularly at the G League Elite Camp. According to Wasserman, Niederhauser was largely off NBA radars a month ago, but now teams believe he will receive legitimate consideration late in the first round. There have been rumors that the Swiss center may have received a promise after he decided to keep his name in the draft, Wasserman notes, though that hasn’t been confirmed. Niederhauser is ranked No. 34 on ESPN’s board.
Cedric Coward, the 29th-ranked prospect on ESPN’s list, appears to have a wide draft range. Some NBA personnel Wasserman has spoken to have a lottery projection for the Washington State wing, while others think he’s only a potential first-round pick. Coward only played six games for the Cougars due to an injury and was relatively unheralded until this season, but he had excellent physical measurements and tested very well at the combine, making him the “ultimate high-risk, high-reward” prospect, per Wasserman.

Jazz’s Austin Ainge On Tanking: ‘Won’t See That’ In 2025/26

June 3rd, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked during his introductory press conference on Monday about whether the Jazz intend to continue tanking and manipulating players’ minutes in 2025/26, new president of basketball operations Austin Ainge offered a succinct response, per Kevin Reynolds and Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune and Tony Jones of The Athletic.

“You won’t see that this year,” Ainge said.

The Jazz held several of their most effective veteran players – including Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, John Collins, Collin Sexton, and Jordan Clarkson – out of games or limited their minutes down the stretch last season. While the team’s leaders might have said that approach was about developing young players, it was more about improving Utah’s lottery odds. That backfired on lottery night last month, as the Jazz fell to No. 5 in the 2025 draft after posting an NBA-worst 17-65 record.

Based on conversations with team sources, Jones writes, Ainge’s vow not to tank in 2025/26 could mean one of two things. While it’s possible that Utah focuses on improving its roster and adding veteran talent around Markkanen in the hopes of moving up the standings next season, it also could mean the Jazz simply double down on their youth movement and trade away some of their current vets who would help them win more games.

Even without manipulating players’ minutes, Utah could very well be the worst team in a competitive Western Conference in ’25/26. All 10 clubs that made the playoffs or play-in tournament are expected to remain in win-now mode, with the Suns, Trail Blazers, Spurs, and Pelicans potentially all looking to break into that group as well. In other words, the Jazz don’t necessarily need to explicitly tank to end up with another high draft pick in 2026.

It’s also worth noting that the Jazz will owe their 2026 first-round pick to the Thunder if it lands outside the top eight. If it falls within the top eight, Utah would keep it and would no longer owe Oklahoma City a pick. That figures to be a major factor working against the idea of trying to move up the standings by adding veteran help this summer.

We have more out of Utah:

While the Jazz were disappointed that the lottery didn’t put them in position to draft a potential franchise cornerstone like Cooper Flagg or Dylan Harper, Ainge said on Monday that winning the lottery isn’t the only way to find that kind of player. “If you look at the playoffs and look at all the best players in the NBA, and how many of them went No. 1, it’s better to have the No. 1 pick,” Ainge said, per Reynolds of The Salt Lake Tribune. “But there’s a lot of other stars that came from all over the draft, and certainly the Jazz have a long history of second-rounders that become All-Stars. So (getting the No. 1 pick) is not the only way to do it.”
Utah isn’t known as a popular free agent destination, but Ainge believes players will want to come if the team can build a positive culture, like his old team in Boston did. “It’s the same. Honestly, I think this is a great place,” he said, according to Reynolds. “Players want hope. They want to win. They want great culture. They want great coaching. They want great teammates. So that’s what we have to give.”
The Jazz’s pre-draft workouts to this point have mostly featured prospects they view as second-round picks or undrafted free agent targets, according to Jones. The club intends to bring in candidates for its No. 21 pick within the next couple weeks and potential targets at No. 5 later this month, Jones adds. Besides No. 5 and No. 21, Utah owns the 43rd and 53rd overall picks, though Ainge said on Monday that everything is on the table with all of those picks, so the club may end up trading one or more of them.
At least one team drafting in the lottery has already engaged the Jazz in discussions about a possible deal, sources tell Jones.

Jazz Owner: Austin Ainge Will Run ‘Show’

June 2nd, 2025 at 8:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jazz owner Ryan Smith declared during a Monday press conference that his new president of basketball operations, Austin Ainge, will have final say on personnel decisions.

“This is Austin’s show,” Smith said, per Sarah Todd of the Deseret News.

After spending 17 years with the Celtics, Ainge was chosen to head the Utah front office. His father, Danny Ainge, has been the franchise’s CEO and alternate governor since 2021.

The younger Ainge served as the Celtics’ director of player personnel and scouting until 2019 and had been their assistant GM for the past six years. Smith wanted to clear up any confusion regarding his team’s front office hierarchy.

“I’m sure there’s probably a lot of questions around organizational structure and design, and I’ve learned in business and also in the NBA, that every organization is set up a little different,” Smith said. “For us, Austin will be running the program. He’s got final recommendation to myself on any decisions that need to be made. I think it’s the job of both Justin (Zanik), Danny and myself to kind of plug into him. So hopefully that alleviates quite a few questions as to who has the final decision on roster and management and personnel.”

As for Zanik, the team’s general manager, Smith claimed his role hasn’t changed.

“If you think about the skill set that Austin has, and JZ’s skill set, they actually work really well,” Smith said, per Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).

The hiring of the younger Ainge came together very quickly. Smith spoke with Ainge and told him that he wanted him to be president of basketball operations, according to Todd. Ainge called Smith back the next day and said that if he was going to hire him he wanted it to happen right away, noting that big offseason decisions were upcoming regarding the franchise’s rebuild.

“The biggest challenge for me was I had to call Danny, who was not in town, and say, ‘I hired your son,’” Smith said. “Danny and I built a lot of trust over the last 15 years, and I didn’t know at that point whether I completely lost all trust or he was going to say that it was the right move. Well, here we are, and so I couldn’t be more excited.”

Utah owns two first-rounders (fifth and 21st) and two second-rounders in this year’s draft, plus numerous extra first-rounders in future drafts acquired in trades.

“We have a ton of optionality, a lot of future picks, a lot of things we can do,” Austin Ainge said. “It’s going to take a lot of work, but I can’t wait to get started.”

Eastern Notes: Scariolo, Heat, Celtics, Ainge, Fontecchio

June 2nd, 2025 at 5:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

According to a Eurohoops.net report, the Heat have expressed interest in adding Sergio Scariolo to their coaching staff. Scariolo is currently the head coach of Spain’s national team and served as an assistant coach with the Raptors for three seasons from 2018-21. However, the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang hears from a source close to the organization that Scariolo is not a candidate for a Heat coaching position.

We have more from the Eastern Conference:

The Heat might have to take a step back to move forward, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith writes in his offseason preview. Their cap sheet for next season is messy but they could reach the summer of 2026 with ample cap space, perhaps $30-40MM or even more, unless they make a major trade for a star player this summer. If they don’t make that sort of deal, it might be another down year for the franchise but the Heat will own their own first-round pick without restrictions in next year’s draft along with having salary flexibility.
The departure of Celtics assistant GM Austin Ainge transpired quickly in recent days, and the hiring of a replacement for him is not imminent, Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe reports. Ainge has joined the Jazz‘s front office as their president of basketball operations. “Ownership is awesome and it’s just kind of the next progression of my career,” Ainge said. “Kind of done a lot in Boston and we’ve had a lot of success over the years, and the chance to run my own team is a big part of it. And the Jazz have a lot of potential, man. It’s a lot of work, but a lot of potential.”
Pistons forward Simone Fontecchio didn’t shoot as well from beyond the arc as he had the previous season but he maintained a rotation spot due to other factors, Pistons.com’s Keith Langlois writes. Fontecchio drew praise from coach J.B. Bickerstaff due to his defensive tenacity, versatility, energy, selflessness and basketball IQ. If Fontecchio can regain his three-point form, he’ll be a very valuable rotation piece heading into his walk year, Langlois adds — he has $8.3MM remaining on his contract.

Jazz Hire Celtics’ Austin Ainge As President Of Basketball Ops

June 2nd, 2025 at 9:12am CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz have hired veteran Celtics executive Austin Ainge as their president of basketball operations, the team announced today in a press release. Tim Bontemps and Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link) first reported the news.

Ainge has spent 17 years with the Celtics, including the last 14 in the front office. He was initially hired as a scout, then spent a couple seasons coaching Boston’s G League affiliate in Maine from 2009-11 before transitioning to a front office position. He served as the club’s director of player personnel and scouting until 2019 and has been an assistant general manager for the past six years.

Ainge has played a significant role in the Celtics’ scouting and pre-draft process over the past decade-plus. The Jazz’s announcement today notes that he “helped to identify” the draft selections of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Austin Ainge as our new president of basketball operations,” Jazz owner and governor Ryan Smith said in a statement. “Austin is one of the brightest minds in the NBA—his 17 years with the Celtics have given him incredible insight into every part of an organization. I’ve known Austin for 15 years, and I’ve watched him grow into an accomplished, innovative, and strategic basketball executive who’s ready to lead this organization.”

Obviously, beyond his relationship with Smith, Ainge has a strong connection to the front office in Utah, where his father Danny Ainge has been the franchise’s CEO and alternate governor since 2021. The elder Ainge and general manager Justin Zanik have collaborated on roster decisions in recent years, with Zanik focused on day-to-day operations in his GM role.

A president of basketball operations title suggests that Austin will be above Zanik and below his father in Utah’s front office hierarchy. The Jazz’s press release implies they’re simply adding the newest hire to the current group rather than the move being part of a larger restructuring of the front office.

“Austin is experienced, forward-thinking, and laser-focused on building a championship-caliber program,” Smith said. “He has been instrumental in every aspect of building great teams – from scouting the best players to constructing a winning roster.

“In this new role leading the Jazz front office, Austin’s ability to identify great talent, scout, and partner with Danny, Justin, and (head coach) Will (Hardy) and the rest of the front office team will be key. Hiring Austin couldn’t be coming at a better time as we build up as an organization towards our ultimate goal of championship-level basketball.”