UTAH JAZZ
Report: Juancho Hernangomez Signing One-Year Deal With Raptors
SALT LAKE CITY – Former Utah Jazz forward Juancho Hernangomez is reportedly finalizing a one-year deal to join the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday.
This deal means that Juancho Hernangomez will not return to the Jazz this season and will be a member of the Toronto Raptors.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported the deal on Tuesday morning.
Free agent F Juancho Hernangomez is finalizing a one-year deal with the Toronto Raptors, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 26, 2022
The Jazz had to decide whether to keep Hernangomez or waive him by the July 1 deadline and decided to waive him, making him an unrestricted free agent. The third and final year of Hernangomez’s three-year, $21 million was set to become guaranteed on Thursday if the Jazz didn’t waive before free agency opened.
Hernangomez has been traded three times in the last 12 months, first from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Boston Celtics, then from Boston to the San Antonio Spurs, before being sent to Utah in a three-team trade that included sending the Jazz Joe Ingles to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Originally an afterthought in the trade, Hernangomez quickly earned the trust of former head coach Quin Snyder due to his length and energy and displaced veteran Rudy Gay in the team’s playoff rotation.
The versatile forward averaged 6.2 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting an impressive 44 percent from the three-point line in 17 appearances with the Jazz last season.
The former Jazzman starred in the Netflix movie “Hustle” which premiered in June. “Hustle” was produced by LeBron James and features Adam Sandler as a struggling NBA scout for the Philadelphia 76ers looking to find the next big international prospect to relaunch his fledgling career.
Upon its release, “Hustle” has received overwhelmingly positive reviews, including an 88 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 90 percent positive audience ranking.
In addition to Hernangomez, Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson makes a cameo in the film along with Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, Dallas Mavericks center Boban Marjanovic, and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards.
NBA legends Julius Erving and Kenny Smith are also noted in the cast alongside Ben Foster, Queen Latifah, and Robert Duvall.
