Category: Utah Jazz Blog

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On the Jazz and the 2023 NBA Draft

Via the Salt Lake Tribune:

The NBA draft is here. And the Utah Jazz will be big players in how it unfolds.

A year after having zero picks in the draft, the Jazz have three in the first round this time, at Nos. 9, 16, and 28. At least for now.

Naturally, this became the year that the front office decided not to disclose the players coming in for workouts and interviews. While some prospects inevitably spilled the beans themselves with Instagram posts, the braintrust was nevertheless looking to gain a competitive advantage by not giving too much away.

On Wednesday morning, Bart Taylor, the Jazz’s Vice President of Player Personnel, addressed a few media members to provide at least a little context about how the team’s process has unfolded since the season ended.

Taylor: “We have tons of conversations constantly of, ‘Where do you think your guy is?’ ‘Where do you think they’re gonna go?’ with the agents, with other teams. We’re trying to figure that out, even as of [Wednesday], who might be there. And then that way we can have those conversations [Wednesday, Thursday] leading into the draft of, ‘OK, if these two guys are there, who are we taking?’ We’re trying to get all that out so that we’re not on the clock, like, ‘Well, who are we taking?’ and then we have Ryan [Smith] sitting looking at us like, ‘Do you guys know what you’re doing?’ We try to figure all that out before so that we look at least semi-educated.”

Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen wins 2022-23 NBA Most Improved Player award

Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen has won the 2022-23 NBA Most Improved Player award.

He becomes the first player in franchise history to garner the award.

Markkanen (7-0, 238, Finland) averaged a career-best 25.6 points (12th in the NBA) on 49.9 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from beyond the arc, along with 8.6 boards, and 1.9 assists in 34.4 minutes per game, boosting his points per game by over 10-plus from 2021-22. Markkanen totaled 16 games with 30-or-more points during his first season in Utah, after having tallied just 15 such games in his previous five NBA campaigns. He was one of only six players in the NBA to average over 25 points and eight boards in 2022-23 (min. 60 games played) alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic, Julius Randle, and Jayson Tatum.

The 25-year-old earned his first All-Star selection in 2022-23, starting for Team Giannis during All-Star weekend in Salt Lake City. Markkanen became the first player in NBA history to knock down over 200 threes, while throwing down over 100 dunks in a single season. His 200 three-point makes were the most in a season by a seven-footer in NBA history. He logged 23 games with over 20 points and 10 boards last year, which was the 10th most such outings in the NBA.

The Finnish international registered three games with 40-or-more points, including a career night against Houston on Jan. 5, where he totaled 49 points on 15-of-27 from the field, becoming only the fifth player in Jazz history to tally 49-or-more points (Dantley, Malone, Maravich, and T. Robinson) and he was the first Jazz player to total multiple 40-point, 10-rebound games in a season since Karl Malone in 1997-98.

The first Utah player to earn the Most Improved accolade, Markkanen becomes seventh international player to be named Most Improved, joining Pascal Siakam (2018-19), Giannis Antetokounmpo (2016-17), Goran Dragic (2013-14), Boris Diaw (2005-06), Hedo Turkoglu (2007-08), and Gheorghe Muresan (1995-96).

Utah Jazz sign Vernon Carey Jr.

The Utah Jazz have signed forward/center Vernon Carey Jr.

Carey Jr. (6-9, 270, Duke) spent the 2022-23 season with the Washington Wizards and the Wizards’ G League affiliate, Capital City Go-Go, seeing action with the Wizards in 11 contests. With Capital City, the 22-year-old played in 14 games (all starts), averaging 20.7 points on 61.9 percent from the field, along with 8.3 boards, and 1.9 assists in 27.6 minutes per game.

Drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft (32nd overall), the Miami, Fla., native has three years of NBA experience with Charlotte (2020-21) and Washington (2021-23), having appeared in 37 games (five starts), owning career averages of 1.9 points and 1.4 boards in 5.1 minutes per contest.

Carey Jr. played one collegiate season at Duke (2019-20), where he averaged 17.8 points on 57.7 percent from the field, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 31 games, earning 2019-20 Consensus All-America Second Team Honors, the NABC Freshman of the Year Award, ACC Rookie and Freshman of the Year honors, and was named to the All-ACC First Team.

Jazz sign Luka Samanic to 10-day contract

The Utah Jazz have signed forward Luka Šamanić to a 10-day contract.

Šamanić (6-10, 227, Croatia) joins the Jazz having most recently played for the Maine Celtics of the NBA G League, where he appeared in 27 games (all starts), averaging 22.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 29.4 minutes per contest. The 23-year-old has two years of NBA experience with the San Antonio Spurs (2019-21), where he appeared in 36 games (five starts), averaging 3.8 points and 2.2 rebounds in 9.9 minutes per contest.

Drafted in the first round (19th overall pick) of the 2019 NBA Draft by San Antonio, Šamanić has additional professional experience with Union Olimpija of the Adriatic League (2018-19) and the FC Barcelona II and FC Barcelona U18 squads from 2016-18.

Utah Jazz sign Jarrell Brantley to 10-day contract

The Utah Jazz have signed forward Jarrell Brantley to a 10-day contract.

Brantley (6-7, 250, Charleston) joins the Jazz most recently having played the 2022-23 season with the New Zealand Breakers of the NBL in Australia, where he appeared in 39 games (all starts), averaging 15.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.5 steals in 28.7 minutes per contest. The native of Charleston, S.C. has additional international experience playing with UNICS Kazan of the VTB United league in Russia and Leones de Ponce of the BSN in Puerto Rico during the 2021-22 campaign.

This marks Brantley’s second stint with the Jazz, having played with the club as a two-way player during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, appearing in 37 total games, averaging 2.4 points and 1.3 boards in 6.3 minutes per contest. With the Salt Lake City Stars in 2019-20, Brantley averaged 18.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.5 steals per contest, earning All-NBA G League First Team honors.

Drafted in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft (50th overall) by the Pacers from the College of Charleston, Brantley was acquired via trade by the Jazz on draft night. He was a four-year collegiate player (2015-19), earning four-time All-CAA conference honors.

Jazz sign Kris Dunn to multi-year deal

The Utah Jazz have signed guard Kris Dunn to a multi-year deal.

Per the Deseret News, “the decision to keep the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Dunn through the rest of the season doesn’t come as much of a surprise, as Dunn has averaged 11.6 points, 4.8 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 22.2 minutes per game over nine contests since joining the Jazz out of the NBA G League in February.”

Dunn (6-3, 205, Providence) has appeared in nine games with the Jazz this season, averaging 11.6 points on 53.1 percent shooting, 4.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.6 steals in 22.2 minutes per game. In his seventh NBA season, he owns career averages of 8.3 points, 4.2 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 254 games (129 starts) with Minnesota (2016-17), Chicago (2017-20), Atlanta (2020-21), Portland (2021-22), and Utah (2022-23).

Drafted in the first round (fifth overall) in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Timberwolves, the New London, Conn., native was a four-year collegiate player at Providence, where he was twice named the Big East Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year (2014-15 and 2015-16) and was a Consensus Second-Team All-America selection following the 2015-16 season.

Jazz sign Kris Dunn to second 10-day contract

The Utah Jazz have signed guard Kris Dunn to a second 10-day contract.

Dunn (6-3, 205, Providence) has appeared in four games with the Jazz this season, averaging 12.0 points on 52.5 percent shooting, 4.5 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.0 steals in 22.3 minutes per game. In his seventh NBA season, he owns career averages of 8.2 points, 4.2 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 249 games (129 starts) with Minnesota (2016-17), Chicago (2017-20), Atlanta (2020-21), Portland (2021-22), and Utah (2022-23).

Drafted in the first round (fifth overall) in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Timberwolves, the New London, Conn., native was a four-year collegiate player at Providence, where he was twice named the Big East Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year (2014-15 and 2015-16) and was a Consensus Second-Team All-America selection following the 2015-16 season.

Utah Jazz sign Kris Dunn and Frank Jackson to 10-day contracts

The Utah Jazz have signed guards Kris Dunn and Frank Jackson to 10-day contracts.

Dunn (6-3, 205, Providence) is entering his seventh NBA season, owning career averages of 8.1 points, 5.2 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 245 games (129 starts) with Minnesota (2016-17), Chicago (2017-20), Atlanta (2020-21), and Portland (2021-22).

Drafted in the first round (fifth overall) in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Timberwolves, the New London, Conn., native was a four-year collegiate player at Providence, where he was twice named the Big East Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year (2014-15 and 2015-16) and was a Consensus Second-Team All-America selection following the 2015-16 season.

Jackson (6-3, 205, Duke) has four years of NBA experience, playing for the New Orleans Pelicans (2018-20) and the Detroit Pistons (2020-22). Last season with the Pistons, he averaged 10.6 points over 53 games played. The Utah-native has seen action in 213 career contests with 31 starts, owning career averages of 8.5 points on 42.2 percent from the field, 1.8 boards and 1.0 assists in 18.2 minutes per game.

He joins the Jazz most recently from the team’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, where he has appeared in 17 games (all starts), averaging 22.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 33.8 minutes per contest, for the 2022-23 regular season. During All-Star weekend, he was selected to participate in the NBA G League Next Up game, where he tallied 15 points, two rebounds, and two assists.

Utah Jazz waive Russell Westbrook

The Utah Jazz have waived guard Russell Westbrook.

Westbrook (6-3, 200, UCLA) was acquired via trade on Feb. 10, 2023. In his 15th NBA season, he is averaging 15.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists in 28.7 minutes per game.

Per the Salt Lake Tribune, “the nine-time All-Star will instead finalize a buyout with Utah and sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, ESPN reported Monday. The Jazz were set to owe Westbrook $16 million if he played, but this buyout figures to lower that figure.”

More from the Tribune: “The team is expected to give guards Collin Sexton and Talen Horton-Tucker an extended evaluation period to see if they can become pieces of a contending roster.”