Ranking all 15 Utah Jazz player contracts - bad, good and steals
By Dan Lower
2. The Good
Taylor Hendricks: The highest pick for Utah from the 2023 draft, Hendricks oozes defensive potential and a somewhat raw offensive game. In 6 starts he is averaging 9.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 0.5 steals, 0.7 blocks, on .537/.364/.1000 shooting splits, in 25 minutes a night. He has a ways to go, but on a rookie scale deal that pays him $5.5 million this year and $5.8 million in 2024-25, he's a great value.
Kris Dunn: As a reserve guard and fill-in starter, Dunn has value as a defender and floor leader. His offensive limitations may never be resolved, but he'll stick in the NBA as long as he keeps his defensive chops. On a $2.5 million deal for this season only, he is a great value and will likely get a raise if he sticks around next year.
Walker Kessler: Last year's All-Rookie 1st teamer has endured the throes of the sophomore slump, regressing in many categories from a year ago. While he has struggled to stay in the starting lineup (18 starts in 52 games this season compared to 40 starts in 74 games in 2022-23), there is still ample time for him to turn things around. And he's on a rookie-scale deal that pays him $2.8 million this year and $2.9 million in 2024-25 and team options for 2 more years past that, making him a great value.
Omer Yurtseven: As a seldom-used backup center, Yurtseven might appear to be a bad deal at first glance. His stats aren't spectacular, and he appears to have regressed in his 3rd season. His lateral quickness, or lack thereof, prevents him from being a full-time starter. However, in 6 starts he averaged 6.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in 21 minutes per game, so he can be useful when called upon. With $2.8 million this year and $2.6 next season, he's still worth a shot when Kessler is hurt.
Brice Sensabaugh: With just 2 seasons committed, at $2.4 and $2.5 million, Sensabaugh is a value deal, though still very raw, especially on defense. He is adjusting decently to NBA play so far, with shooting splits of .466/.345/.889, and as a rookie, he isn't a bad deal by any means, though not a steal of a deal. How he progresses will affect how his deal is viewed, and his ceiling remains high.