Utah Jazz make first free agency move, sign Paul Reed to offer sheet

The Utah Jazz have been very quiet since the start of free agency. While the team has yet to make a big offseason splash outside of the acquisition of John Collins, it seems to be a waiting game to see what other moves are up Danny Ainge’s sleeve.

Nonetheless, the Jazz made their first free agency move on Saturday morning.

Jazz sign Paul Reed to offer sheet

The Jazz made their first signing one week after free agency opened. The team’s first move came with Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul Reed signing a three-year, $23 million offer sheet.

Reed averaged 4.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 69 games, shooting an efficient 59.3% from field goal range. At only 24 years old, the DePaul product has plenty of room to develop into more than a serviceable role player. The 6-foot-9 forward has shown plenty of potential but has also shown plenty of room for development. If Will Hardy can tap into Reed’s skillset, he could be a sneaky good addition to this Utah team and their loaded frontcourt.

The Sixers will have until Sunday at 11:59 P.M. ET to match the offer sheet for the big man. Fortunately for Utah, if Philly does decide to match the offer sheet, the 76ers will exceed the $165 million luxury tax threshold, resulting in $14 million in tax penalties, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojranowksi.

If Utah is able to officially bring in Reed, it will be interesting to see how the Jazz can use him in their offensive scheme, but there’s clearly a reason as to why Ainge and Hardy elected to sign him to an offer sheet. With Reed looking for a bigger role and the Jazz room to provide it, this signing could fly under the radar until the regular season begins.