The Utah Jazz have added to their roster, bringing on former Atlanta Hawks forward and second-year man Tyler Cavanaugh.
There’s a new Jazzman in town — Tyler Cavanaugh, who spent his rookie season playing for the Atlanta Hawks, is set to join the Utah Jazz on a two-way contract. The team announced the roster move on Wednesday.
Cavanaugh was originally on a two-way contract for the Hawks last season, after which it was converted into a standard NBA contract when he impressed the organization. In total, he played in 39 games for Atlanta, averaging nearly five points and three rebounds per game.
He also shot a solid 36 percent on 3-pointers.
This signing came as a surprise, as it seemed like the Jazz were going to sign a guy like Stanton Kidd to a two-way contract. Kidd was a summer league standout, and was rumored to have signed a deal with Utah. That rumor was not accurate.
After this signing, the Jazz’s roster is complete. They have all 15 roster spots filled, and now have both of their two-way spots filled. Remember, the Jazz gave guard Naz Mitrou-Long their first two-way contract.
Cavanaugh, a George Washington product, is primarily known for his ability to shoot the ball. He’s a true stretch big man. As Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune pointed out, Cavanaugh attempted more shots from behind the arc than he did from inside of it this past season.
The 24-year-old big man will likely spend the majority of next season playing for the Salt Lake City Stars, the Jazz’s G-League affiliate. During the 2017-18 G-League season, Cavanaugh averaged 14 points, seven rebounds and shot a blazing 45 percent from deep.
Two-way contracts are important. Georges Niang is a primary example of that. He was on a two-way last season, but is now a member of the Utah Jazz’s main roster.
Some other two-way contract success stories include Torrey Craig of the Denver Nuggets and Quinn Cook of the Golden State Warriors. Craig has a fully guaranteed NBA deal now, and Cook just won a championship with the Warriors.