6 Wings the Jazz could add via the Taylor Hendricks exception

After Taylor Hendricks suffered such an unfortunate injury, the Utah Jazz were awarded a $2.92 million injury exception, as first reported by ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

It's not like the Jazz are desperate for more depth because we all know their intentions. However, they are short on wings with Hendricks' injury, and there are plenty of free agent wings who want to remain in the show no matter what.

There aren't any game changers, but there players out there who either could to be useful or be of the same

Lonnie Walker

Walker wasn't too bad for the Celtics when he played for them in preseason. They wanted to keep him but waived him only because they couldn't find a cheaper way to cut salary. To continue his professional basketball career, he currently plays overseas but has a buyout clause.

He is best used as an undersized scoring wing off the bench. The Jazz's bench has actually proved to be one of their best strengths this season, but who's to say they couldn't use some insurance in case there's another injury?

Marcus Morris

Morris had every intention of playing for the Knicks this season, but his plans got spoiled after they traded for Karl-Anthony Towns, which led to them cutting him. Even though Morris is on the wrong side of 30, he showed that he still has some juice left as he helped keep the Cavaliers in their series against the Celtics during the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

He has remained a free agent since then. Morris is likely best used on a team like the Cavaliers or Knicks, but at this point, he may just have to take what he can get. If the Jazz come calling, that might be the best he can hope for.

Jae Crowder

Crowder was well-liked during his brief time with the Jazz, so he's being mentioned here more for sentimental reasons than anything. After two uneventful seasons in Milwaukee, Crowder has tried to do everything in his power to keep his NBA career alive, and it's not looking good. What makes it worse is knowing that he bet on himself and lost.

It's no question that he is far from the player he was back when he played for Utah. He wouldn't change the Jazz's trajectory in the slightest, but he could be a good example for the young kids knowing that he went from expendable second-round pick to a starter on multiple playoff teams.

Oshae Brissett

Unlike some of the other players mentioned above, Brissett is not past his prime and could actually help an aspiring playoff contender. The problem is there are guys who are simply better than him. Brissett is a pure energy wing whose best attribute is his hustle.

Boston wanted to bring him back, but he wants to play for a team that will play him consistently. With Hendricks out, that would potentially give Brissett the chance to play for a team who will give him a role. As an NBA champion, there could be some beneficiary long-term effects from playing with a guy who is coming off a title run.

Danilo Gallinari

Gallinari is more of a Jae Crowder than he is a Marcus Morris at this point. He's running low on juice. He is straight up out of juice. If the Jazz were to add him, it would be to add his veteran presence to a young team.

Once upon a time, he was a wing, but as he's gotten older, he's embraced his role as more of a stretch big. He wouldn't have a bigger role than Svi Mykhailiuk, but Gallinari gives the Jazz experience and could help some of their young scorers refine their craft. Like pretty much everyone else, what could it hurt?

T.J. Warren

Warren is a sad tale because he didn't deserve what happened to his NBA career. He's never quite rediscovered his scoring prowess after suffering through two seasons worth of stress fractures in his feet. Since then, he's hung around, but has never quite stuck anywhere.

He's basically in the same camp as Morris. At this point, he should take any NBA opportunity. With the Jazz, he could get the chance to prove that he can still score at a solid rate, even if he's not the pure scorer he was in Indiana and Phoenix.