Utah Jazz waive guard Chris Johnson

The Utah Jazz roster is now down to the maximum of 15 players heading into the season after the release of lefty wingman Chris Johnson. It seems like the Jazz brass had a hard time making their decision, as they left this to the (nearly) last minute.

Over his time here CJ played in a total of 82 games across 2 seasons, even starting in a couple games last year. He averaged 4.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 0.6 steals in 14 min/game. He came to us via a 10-day contract back in the 2014-2015 season, and earned a longer (but non-guaranteed) contract with the Jazz.

Most known for his hustle and defense, Johnson’s attitude and hard work will be missed. Unfortunately the NBA has yet to turn the D-league into a legitimate farming system (hopefully the new CBA address that?), so we may never see him in the navy, gold, and green again.

During the pre-season I definitely feel like he proved he can play at the NBA level, even if it is just hustle minutes off the bench. I expect someone to pick him up and add him to their roster.

The Press Release is short and sweet:

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has waived forward Chris Johnson. Following the move, Utah’s roster now stands at 15 players.

Johnson (6-6, 206, Dayton) appeared in all six preseason games for the Jazz, averaging 5.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 11.2 minutes. He appeared in 82 games (two starts) for Utah over the past two seasons, averaging 3.5 points and 1.8 rebounds in 13.0 minutes per contest.

The 6-6 forward originally signed a 10-day contract with the Jazz during the 2014-15 season before signing a multi-year deal on March 26, 2015.

Utah Jazz, NBA.com, 2016

On behalf of us all at SLC Dunk, we wish Chris all the best, and we know that he’ll be an asset to whatever team is lucky enough to pick him up.