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It’s been a successful offseason for Utah so far with the re-signing of both Derrick Favors and Jordan Clarkson. But those aren’t the only free agency moves from the Jazz, here are some of the other offseason moves the Jazz have done and what they mean.
The Jazz gave Jarrell Brantley another two-way contract
We have signed forward Jarrell Brantley and guard Trent Forrest to two-way contracts.https://t.co/l8r2o7t0nK
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) November 26, 2020
The Jazz have put a year of development into Jarrell Brantley and it’s a good thing they are able to keep him with the team. Brantley was a wrecking ball in the G-League and has potential to be a rotation player in the NBA. It’s not totally clear what it will take to crack Quin Snyder’s rotation, but he has a great chance to continue his development this season.
With the shortened season he’ll also likely get more chances to play. With there being more back to backs and even some possible scenarios with four games in five nights, the Jazz will likely need him more than last season.
The Jazz also signed 6’4” 210 pound guard Trent Forrest. In 4 seasons at Florida State Forrest averaged 8.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists. His percentages aren’t anything to write home about but he does have good size and athleticism. Probably the most interesting thing about him at Florida State was his 1.9 steals per game. There’s some definite upside there on the defensive end. If he can figure out his shooting could he become a future defensive wing for the Jazz?
Udoka Azubuike and Elijah Hughes signed their rookie contracts
It’s official pic.twitter.com/g8O6Le7Sqj
— udoka azubuike (@TimUdoka) November 25, 2020
signed my first NBA contract..
— Eli (@elijahhughes4_) November 24, 2020
dream come true
thank you @utahjazz pic.twitter.com/dmNj9V84os
Being a first round pick it was easy to predict a contract signing for Azubuike, but for Hughes it was a little unclear what kind of contract he would get. Apparently it will be two years guaranteed.
Elijah Hughes contract with the Utah Jazz is for two years at the minimum with both years fully guaranteed.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) November 25, 2020
It’s a sign that the Jazz really like Hughes. The Jazz have done this in the past with surprise contracts like this and it has worked out well with players like Royce O’Neale. Will Elijah Hughes be the next Jazz success story? It seems likely when you look at that beautiful jumpshot.
As far as Azubuike this is expected. Azubuike will likely get some nice minutes this season with the shortened schedule and will hopefully step in and provide the rim-rolling and rim protection right away.
The Jazz and Rudy Gobert still haven’t come to terms on a contract
The Jazz are focused right now on getting a contract with Rudy Gobert and “are actively talking” according to Tony Jones.
The two sides are actively talking https://t.co/582JbdUhua
— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) November 24, 2020
It could be any moment we get news of a contract with Gobert but we’re now starting to see more and more days go by without that contract signed. At a certain point you have to wonder how this is going. With the contract negotiations with Donovan Mitchell it was clear that Jazz and Mitchell were on the same page with the deal and just needed to sort out some of the terms. For example, the time spent was probably discussing the player option on the contract.
With the Gobert contract there’s likely more difference between the two parties. With more ground to cover for both sides there will need to be concessions. How much are both sides willing to concede? Are the expectations from both sides closer than we think or farther?
We likely won’t see something in the next day or so with Thanksgiving but if days and days start going by this may become a bigger story.