The Utah Jazz made some roster moves, bringing in young, big men who have impacted their previous teams. How do these signings affect the Jazz’s rebuild?
How Will Utah Jazz’s Recently Signed Young Bigs Impact Their Rebuild?
Utah signed Darius Bazley and Kenneth Lofton Jr., each with a three-year contract, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Free agent F Kenneth Lofton Jr., is signing a three-year non-guaranteed contract with the Utah Jazz, sources tell ESPN. Lofton has played with the Sixers and Grizzlies this season. pic.twitter.com/yLzoFNI2Gy
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 11, 2024
Lofton officially signed his deal with Utah on Monday following the release of Otto Porter, who subsequently announced his retirement.
The Jazz is already Lofton’s third team. The 21-year-old was most recently with the Philadelphia 76ers, spending most of his tenure with the organization with the G-League Delaware Blue Coats. He saw nine total minutes in two appearances for the 76ers before getting released.
Lofton also appeared in 15 games for Memphis this season and 39 appearances over the last two seasons. He averaged 4.1 points and 1.7 rebounds while posting a shooting slash line of .471/.310/.571 in 7.1 minutes a game.
Lofton is a 6-7 burly power forward who tends to put the ball in the basket. He has scored in double figures five times in his short career, including career-highs of 42 points and 14 rebounds in the 2022-23 campaign season finale.
Lofton is extremely efficient around the rim and loves to bully his way to the hoop when he gets the ball in the low post. While the big fella is pretty limited offensively, he is very agile and can put the ball on the floor. He is also a terrific rebounder and willing passer.
However, defense is an issue. He is physical in the low post, which has caused foul issues, but his most significant issue comes on the perimeter and pick-n-roll/pop situations.
Darius Bazley
Free agent F Darius Bazley is planning to sign a non-guaranteed three-year deal with the Utah Jazz, sources tell ESPN. He’s averaged 21 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists for Delaware of G League this season. pic.twitter.com/lA1KpwJrf7
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 11, 2024
Bazley’s signing was just official yesterday afternoon.
Like Lofton, Bazley has spent most of the season in the G-League. The 23-year-old, a first-round draft pick of the Jazz in 2018, saw 10 minutes of action in three appearances for the 76ers this season.
The Jazz are Bazley’s seventh team. Bazley has appeared in 221 career games, including 118 starts, averaging 8.9 points and 5.3 rebounds in 23.3 minutes while shooting .410/.323.673.
Bazley has shown the ability to score over his career, averaging double figures for the season twice. The athletic 6-8, 208-pound power forward/center usually attempts shots within 10 feet of the hoop or from the 3-point line.
Bazley is a very inefficient scorer and a good passer. However, he is a strong defensive rebounder, solid rim protector, and decent defender overall.
What Role Will Lofton and Bazley Fill?
Utah is headed to the draft lottery as they are 28-37 on the season and six and one-half games out of the 10th spot in the Western Conference. As a result, Lofton and Bazley will likely see some minutes down the stretch as the Jazz tries to evaluate players. Lauri Markkanen is dealing with a quadriceps injury, and a toe ailment is hampering Taylor Hendricks.
Lofton did not play in Utah’s loss to Boston last night, and Bazley was unavailable. However, both players should be in the mix, with Luka Samanic being the second big off the bench while Markkanen and Hendricks are out.
While Lofton and Bazley’s signings are for the rest of the year, their real value is over the next two years. While they own nonguaranteed deals, they are insurance for the Jazz in case they can’t find anyone more desirable.
Utah has 11 players under contract for next season with a payroll of around $98.5 million. So, the Jazz have plenty of money. However, the Jazz are likely either to extend or trade Markkanen, as only $6 million of his $18 million is guaranteed for next season.
Omer Yurtseven‘s $2.6 million is also nonguaranteed. Talen Horton-Tucker, Samanic, and Kira Lewis Jr. (restricted) are free agents. None of the trio is likely to return.
Utah may not have a first-round draft pick, as it will be conveyed to Oklahoma City if the Jazz falls out of the top 10 of the lottery. The Jazz doesn’t have a second-round selection.
