Jazz To Announce Final Roster Monday
Oct 15, 2021, 4:24 PM
(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz plan to announce their final roster on Monday, two days before the team’s season opener.
As it stands, the Jazz have 17 players on the roster after waiving Marques Bolden, MaCio Teague, and Derrick Alston Jr., and signing Nino Johnson on Thursday.
Heading into the regular season, the team can have no more than 15 guaranteed players on the roster, plus two additional two-way players under contract.
Here’s the roster as it stands today:
Guards:
Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell, Joe Ingles, Jordan Clarkson, Jared Butler, Miye Oni
Forwards:
Bojan Bogdanovic, Royce O’Neale, Rudy Gay, Eric Paschall, Elijah Hughes
Centers:
Rudy Gobert, Hassan Whiteside, Udoka Azubuike
Two-Way Players:
Trent Forrest
Non-Guaranteed Players:
Malik Fitts, Nino Johnson
Entering the final weekend of the offseason, the Jazz have 14 players on guaranteed contracts, including Miye Oni’s deal which will become fully guaranteed in January if he is still with the team.
Trent Forrest signed a second two-way contract with the roster in August after a breakout performance during summer league, while Fitts joined the Jazz shortly after the team returned from training camp in Las Vegas.
Johnson signed with the Jazz on Thursday after the team’s final preseason game but is expected to be waived and assigned to the Salt Lake City Stars in the NBA G League.
Sources have told KSL Sports that Fitts is currently in line for the team’s final two-way roster spot.
I'm hearing that as of right now, Malik Fitts is in line for the @UtahJazz final two-way roster spot.
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) October 15, 2021
If Fitts were to sign a two-way contract, the Jazz will have an open roster spot on the team’s main roster heading into the season.
With an open roster spot, the Jazz can watch the NBA’s waiver wire as teams across the league are forced to make their final cuts. Should a player high on the Jazz radar find themselves released, they could sign that player shortly before opening night.
That was the case with guard Joe Ingles who was waived by the Los Angeles Clippers on October 25, 2014, signed with the Jazz on October 27, and made his debut with the team on October 29.
The Jazz open the regular season against the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 20 at Vivint Arena.