The Utah Jazz aren't done making moves. Not too long after the team cut KJ Martin, the team signed former lottery pick Mo Bamba today. Bamba may not have lived up to the hype, but he has managed to stay in the NBA for seven seasons. Signing him shows that even if the plan is to keep Love, his spot on the team's opening night roster has to be earned.
After plenty of speculation that the Jazz would cut Love immediately, now the belief is that he'll be there for their training camp at the very least. It may seem odd that Love would resume his career on a team like Utah, but all indications are that he has no market and is best off staying a Jazzman for the time being.
But that doesn't mean his spot on the team is secure. Love may be on a guaranteed contract, but it's not for much, and Utah wouldn't have much to lose by cutting him. They signaled that even if he'll get his money, his spot on the team is far from safe with Bamba competing for a spot on the team.
Why Bamba will give Love motivation to play his heart out
Love has been in the NBA for 10 years longer than Bamba, but comparing their current NBA careers, their individual impacts are similar, despite their differing playstyles. Both are coming off seasons where they didn't play that often - Bamba played five more games than Love did - and hence, didn't exactly light the world on fire. In other words, they are perfect to have as emergency backups.
While Love is paid more, Bamba is younger, gives the Jazz some rim protection, and on paper, it seems more likely he could give Utah more than Love could, given the age difference. He is a good bar for Love to clear if he wants to stay in the show. If he thrives as a backup, he might even give Jusuf Nurkic a run for his money.
Utah has little to lose by doing this. They likely cut Martin because they couldn't find a taker for Love, but also because getting rid of his deal is easier, given how much it saved them financially compared to Love, whose contract they would have had to swallow whole if they cut him.
They could still do so, and signing Bamba is a pretty good sign that they are willing to if Love shows that his tank is empty. This should make for quite the training camp battle, even if it's for the 15th spot on the roster.