Tag: Utah Jazz

Would you trade veteran Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine to the Utah Jazz for Jordan Clarkson and John Collins?

Would it be enough of a return for the oft-injured guard on a substantial contract?

Would you trade veteran Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine to the Utah Jazz for Jordan Clarkson and John Collins? Such a proposal was recently floated by ESPN cap guru Bobby Marks, and in the form he came up with, would send LaVine to Danny Ainge and Co. for Clarkson and Collins with no draft assets or cash.

Collins and Clarkson would immediately fill the voids of a big wing and a more modern big man that Chicago currently lacks, and if it does work out, they each have two years remaining on their tradeable contracts, making flipping them not so onerous.

The hosts of the “CHGO Bulls” podcast took a closer look at the proposed deal, and debated whether it would be enough of a return for the oft-injured guard on a substantial contract.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

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Could the Utah Jazz be a trade partner for veteran Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine?

We’ve seen some interest from the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers, but what about the Jazz?

Could the Utah Jazz be a trade partner for veteran Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine? By now, it is the NBA’s worst-kept secret that the Chicago Bulls are trying their hardest to find a new home for the UCLA alum. And while things have mostly stood still on that front since the start of the 2024 NBA offseason, there has been some traction of late, reportedly.

With word circulating out there that the Bulls have lowered their asking price to acquire LaVine’s considerable contract, we have seen some interest from the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers, but what about the Jazz?

To take a closer look at such a possibility and what sort of a return any deal with Utah and their general manager Danny Ainge might entail, the hosts of the “Locked On Bulls” podcast, Haize and Pat the Designer, focused on the possibility on a recent episode of their show.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say!

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NBA fans loved how the Jazz got rid of their terrible black and yellow uniforms after just 2 seasons

The Jazz’s new purple and white jerseys should have never gone away.

It doesn’t take a lot for sports fans to rip apart a team’s terrible uniform. When the Utah Jazz rebranded to their awful black and yellow jerseys two years ago, they were consistently bullied about this horrific wardrobe choice.

On Wednesday, the Jazz finally made it clear they want to actually listen to their audience. In a Twitter post, Utah revealed it would be jettisoning those black and yellow eyesores after just two seasons in favor of a more classic purple and white aesthetic that seemingly harkens back to the golden era of the 1980s and 1990s.

And let me say, even after only two years — this was long overdue:

Thank goodness the Jazz came to their senses and issued out on a modern take on arguably the best uniforms they have ever had. That purple and white look with the cool Utah mountains splashed over the chest is a flat-out perfect design choice. In the paraphrased words of a legendary NFL cornerback, the Jazz players will look good AND potentially even play good now. (Well, maybe on the latter point.)

Let us never see them walk this back to horrific uniforms like they had over the last two years.

NBA fans loved the Jazz’s new purple and white jerseys

NBA All-Rookie: Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren unanimously voted to first team

Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren and Brandon Miller headlined the 2023-24 NBA All-Rookie first team announced on Monday.

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren and Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller headlined the 2023-24 NBA All-Rookie first team announced on Monday by the league.

Wembanyama, the Rookie of the Year, and Holmgren were unanimous selections to the first team, earning all 99 votes from a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Miller finished in third place with 97 first-team votes.

Joining the trio are Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski. Jaquez received 89 first-place votes, while Podziemski earned 64 in the final tally released in the announcement by the league.

Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II, Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson, Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George, Thunder guard Cason Wallace and Memphis Grizzlies guard GG Jackson II were named to the All-Rookie second team.

Jackson, after a strong finish to the season, edged Warriors center Trayce Jackson-Davis, Detroit Pistons guard Ausar Thompson and Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson for the 10th and final place on the second team.

The 10 players selected to the two teams emerged as the top of the class following productive campaigns. They each have bright futures ahead and are cornerstones for their respective organizations.

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Bronny James reportedly intrigues the Jazz, which is a genius move by Lakers rival Danny Ainge

Will the Jazz force the Lakers to trade up for Bronny?

USC Trojans freshman Bronny James was one of the biggest winners of the 2024 NBA Draft Combine. Now, he has interest around the league.

Bronny, who is expected to stay in this class but recently told reporters that he doesn’t necessarily want to play with his father in the NBA, performed well while in Chicago. While a bit undersized at 6-foot-1.5 in socks, his other measurements were good.

He had a an 8-foot-2.5 standing reach and 6-foot-7.25 wingspan while weighing 210.4 pounds, proving that he can play a bit bigger than his listed height.

The freshman also showed legitimate vertical pop, recording a 40.5-inch max vertical during athletic testing. His 32-inch standing reach was also solid and he fared well in the speed and agility runs as well.

This was enough to potentially raise eyebrows around the league, including from the Utah Jazz. Here is more from Krysten Peek (via Yahoo):

“The Jazz have expressed interest in bringing Bronny in for an individual workout and could be interested in him with the 32nd pick, sources told Yahoo Sports. The franchise has been patiently rebuilding behind the leadership of Danny Ainge, and bringing in Bronny with the hopes of luring a superstar like LeBron could be the jump owner Ryan Smith is looking for to add a spark to the Jazz.”

Long before the 2024 NBA Combine, Bronny was already reportedly on multiple team draft boards despite USC’s struggles this season.

But after leading his team in scoring with 13 points off the bench during his second scrimmage, perhaps there is interest in him as a prospect beyond the idea of selecting him just to try to sign his dad as a free agent.

The Lakers are reportedly very open to drafting Bronny and Los Angeles is where several mock drafts have him landing. The Jazz, however, are wise to leak potential interest.

RELATED: If the Lakers don’t draft Bronny James, betting odds favor some interesting contenders (including LeBron’s old teams)

This is a savvy move by Danny Ainge, who is the CEO of Basketball Operations for the franchise. The Jazz are a potential competitor of the Lakers in the Western Conference and Ainge is a former executive of the Celtics, the most notable rival of Los Angeles.

Even if Utah doesn’t actually want to draft Bronny, this puts the Lakers in a bit of a predicament. They’re basically daring them: If you want to select the son of the NBA’s all-time scoring leader so he can play alongside his father in the NBA, perhaps you will need to trade with us (or ahead of us) to get the pick.

If they can score an asset or two from Los Angeles to make it happen, that is brilliant. Or if they can force the Lakers to give something up to leapfrog the draft position, that works in Utah’s favor as well. Well-played, Ainge.

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Danny Ainge confirms Jazz rookies will play in summer league

Danny Ainge confirmed this week that Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George and Brice Sensabaugh will suit up in summer league.

Utah Jazz CEO Danny Ainge confirmed this week that Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George and Brice Sensabaugh will be among the players to suit up for the team in summer league.

The Jazz introduced the trio this season after drafting them in the first round of last year’s draft. They each contributed at various times throughout the year with the Jazz, and a couple of them even saw time in the G League with the Salt Lake City Stars.

The organization has formulated an offseason plan for them to take the next step in their development. The upcoming summer will require plenty of work on and off the court, Ainge said, but the players appear ready for the challenge.

We’ve organized plans for them for the whole summer. I think they’re excited about it but it is going to be tough. It is going to be a lot of work. They will play in the summer league, assuming they’re healthy and still doing well. We plan on them playing in the summer league, along with whatever draft picks we have, Darius Bazley and Kenny Lofton. Those guys are in our plans and will be with us throughout the summer.

Hendricks, the ninth pick, averaged 7.3 points and 4.6 rebounds on 37.9% shooting from 3-point range in 40 appearances. He joined the rotation from the G League just before the All-Star break and played a large role with the team down the stretch.

George emerged as the player most ready to contribute, averaging 13 points, 4.4 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 75 games. The 16th pick finished sixth in scoring among first-year players and is a strong choice to be named to the NBA All-Rookie first team.

Sensabaugh spent most of the season in the G League, though played 32 games with the Jazz. He produced his best stretch at the end of the season, averaging 13.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists on 43.2% shooting from 3-point range over the last eight games.

Jazz coach Will Hardy gave Hendricks and Sensabaugh a larger role down the stretch with mounting injuries and the season out of reach. They offered a glimpse of what they can bring nightly and will now head into what projects will be a big summer for their future

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Report: Avery Bradley joining Utah Jazz front office

Bradley will join the Utah Jazz front office helmed by Jazz team president Danny Ainge, who drafted Bradley for the Celtics.

Former Boston Celtics shooting guard Avery Bradley is making the leap to the other side of the clipboard with an old friend from his days with the Celtics, according to recent reporting from Deseret News’ Sarah Todd. Bradley will join the Utah Jazz front office helmed by Jazz team president Danny Ainge, who drafted Bradley for the Celtics.

The former Boston shooting guard will be Utah’s new vice president of player development, and has been around the team since at least December, per Todd. “Avery Bradley is somebody that I’ve developed a relationship with, and he obviously played for Danny (Ainge). He’s somebody that wanted to come spend some time and see what we’ve got going on,” said Jazz head coach Will Hardy at that time.

“It’s good to have him in the gym hanging out with the guys and hanging out with the coaching staff,” added Hardy. “It’s good to have him in the gym hanging out with the guys and hanging out with the coaching staff.”

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Spurs’ Wembanyama, Hornets’ Miller named rookies of the month for third straight time

Victor Wembanyama and Brandon Miller for the third straight time have been named the Rookies of the Month for March.

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama and Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller were named the NBA Western and Eastern Conference rookies of the month, respectively, for the third straight time.

Wembanyama became the first Spurs rookie to win three months in a row since Tim Duncan after averaging 23.2 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 1.2 steals in 12 games. He led all rookies in scoring, rebounding and blocks in March.

Miller averaged 18.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 14 games, becoming the fifth player in franchise history to win three times. He was second among rookies in scoring and led all first-year players in 3-pointers (42).

Wembanyama registered five 30-point games, the most by a rookie in a calendar month since LeBron James in December 2003. He produced a career-high 40 points and 20 rebounds on March 29, becoming the first rookie since Shaquille O’Neal in 1993 to reach that mark.

Miller was the third-fastest Hornets rookie to surpass 1,000 career points after reaching that mark on March 15 (60 games). He later registered his third 30-point game of the season after recording 31 points with a career-high seven 3s on March 27.

Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, Memphis Grizzlies forward GG Jackson II and Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson were also nominated for the award from the West. Toronto Raptors guard Gradey Dick, Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Hornets forward Vasilije Micić were also nominated in the East.

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Devin Vassell breaks down offensive process after Spurs win over Jazz

After the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the Utah Jazz, Devin Vassell broke down his offensive process.

On Wednesday night, the San Antonio Spurs played their first road game in over two weeks. They enjoyed a nice homestand capped off by a win over the Phoenix Suns, and they were able to keep up that momentum on the road. They took down the Utah Jazz by a score of 118-111 as Victor Wembanyama reentered the lineup after a one-game absence.

However, in a nice change of pace, Wembanyama wasn’t the star of the show on Wednesday. Instead, it was Devin Vassell, who dropped a team-high 31 points against the Jazz. The fourth-year wing completely dominated the offensive end of the floor.

After the game, the fourth-year wing spoke about his process. (H/t Matthew Coles of MySA)

“Get downhill, get to my spots, pick them apart,” Vassell said. “If they’re trapping me, I can hit the short roll or skip or whatever the pass is, and they’ve been knocking down shots.”

In addition to his 31 points, Vassell also added four rebounds, six assists, and one steal to his totals. He shot 12-of-20 from the floor and 4-of-8 from behind the three-point line.

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Top takeaways from San Antonio Spurs win over Utah Jazz

Some of the top takeaways from the San Antonio Spurs’ 118-111 win over the Utah Jazz.

After a big-time, Victor Wembanyama-less win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, they won their second straight game on Wednesday. The Spurs took down former San Antonio assistant Will Hardy and his Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Wembanyama returned and helped lead the Spurs to victory.

However, it was actually Devin Vassell who led the charge against the Jazz, as the fourth-year wing dropped an impressive 31 points. Meanwhile, Julian Champagnie, Malaki Branham, and Jeremy Sochan each put up 17 points as well. It was a well-rounded, team-oriented performance from a young and hungry Spurs squad.

The Locked On Spurs podcast discussed the contest in a recent episode, revealing some of the top takeaways from the victory.

In the episode, host Jeff Garica also spoke with Dr. Ryan McCorkle about Zach Collins’ concussion and how Wembanyama can focus on prioritizing his health throughout the course of the offseason.

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