Jazz news: Jazz make final decision on Jaden Springer

Springer's 10-day contract expired, but it's clear this would not be a brief fling.
Feb 24, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Jaden Springer warms up before the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Feb 24, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Jaden Springer warms up before the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Jaden Springer signed a 10-day contract with the Utah Jazz on February 19, which expired on the 29th. Although nothing was concrete until the Jazz officially made a move, Springer's name still showed up on the Jazz's Game Notes.

This would indicate that the Jazz planned to keep him, and then, ESPN's Shams Charania confirmed exactly that and then some. Springer got more than just another 10-day contract.

The Jazz are signaling a lot with Springer's new contract

No one knew if the Jazz planned to give Springer another 10-day contract. Although he hasn't lit the world on fire in his four games with the team, he hasn't been a problem. Signing him to a three-year deal signifies that the Jazz see something in Springer. While he's not dominant, there's a lot to like about his game.

Springer's playing time has varied somewhat since the Jazz brought him in, but he has brought it defensively (three steals against the Kings), and his floor spacing hasn't been terrible (50% from three on two-for-four shooting overall). He's averaged nine minutes a game, which isn't monumental, but his playing time has shown that he's not just another body on the roster.

The best word to associate with Springer is "potential." Boston got rid of him only because he didn't fit with their win-now timeline, but he fits perfectly on a team like the Jazz. The defense is already excellent while the offense is a work in progress, and if there's one team that can afford to wait for his progress, it's Utah.

Because of his reputation as a defender and mid-season availability, Springer has been compared to Jazz alum Kris Dunn. Dunn's NBA career was hanging by a thread when the Jazz brought him in, and two years later, he's been a valuable contributor to the Clippers.

Springer is much younger than Dunn was when the latter became a Jazzman and hasn't done as much as Dunn had before his career took off in Utah, but the comparison isn't too far off. Now the Jazz have a project that could pay off in the long term. It'd be unreasonable to think Springer is a star in the making, but he could be another long-term complementary piece, a la KJ Martin.

It's not a guarantee that Springer will work out, but in a time when the Jazz don't have much to lose, giving him a fair shot that he's definitely earned seems like an idea where hardly anything could go wrong.

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