With their summer league now over, the Utah Jazz made some pivotal decisions with Kenny Lofton Jr. and Darius Bazley. The Salt Lake Tribune's Andy Larsen reported via his X account that the Jazz have waived both of them.
The Jazz officially waived both Kenny Lofton and Darius Bazley today.
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) July 24, 2024
Larsen then explained why the Jazz went this route with both of them, revealing that the Jazz would have had to pay them a certain amount of money to keep them.
Both players were guaranteed $400K if they were on the roster through tomorrow. So waiving them opens up the roster spots and saves them $800K. https://t.co/nJxrP0dSVk
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) July 24, 2024
The Jazz signed both Lofton and Bazley towards the end of the 2023-24 season. Both of them split time between the Jazz and their G-League affiliate, the SLC Stars. They then played for the Jazz's summer league team in the hopes of getting a training camp at the very least.
This does not mean their time in Utah is over
The Jazz may have done this merely as a formality more than anything. One X account explained how the two sides could reunite, though it would require both sides coming to an agreement.
They could be resigned once they clear waivers.
— Ken Clayton (@k_clayt) July 24, 2024
Obviously both sides would have to be willing, & from the team's perspective that probably means no guarantees.
Sure, the Jazz saved money by waiving both of them, but the Jazz have plenty of cap room, so it's not like saving money is that big of a priority. Odd are, at the very least, the Jazz would like to bring them into training camp because they have familiarity with them and at this point in time, they don't have much to lose.
The odds of Utah giving them any sort of long-term contract is next to nothing unless they actually prove something. The Jazz have all the time in the world to decide who should stick around and who's expendable.
Though both Lofton and Bazley showed themselves to be useful during the Jazz summer league, the Jazz understandably felt it wasn't enough to justify paying them that much. That's not an indictment on who they are as basketball players.
It's very possible that both Lofton and Bazley make the Jazz roster and maybe don't have to play in the G-League. They could also sign two-way contracts with the Jazz and continue to showcase their skills in Salt Lake.
Whatever the case may be, the Jazz made some moves in an offseason that hasn't featured much besides acquiring and waiving Russell Westbrook again.