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Jazz Have 16 Players for 15 Spots: Who Could Be Odd Man Out?
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- Jazz Have 16 Players for 15 Spots: Who Could Be Odd Man Out?
(Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images)
The Utah Jazz have spent the offseason building out a roster that looks increasingly different from the one that finished last season.
At some point, they're going to have to start subtracting.
Utah currently has 16 players on standard contracts after signing Harrison Ingram to an Exhibit 10 deal, while Trey Alexander , Tamar Bates and Blake Hinson occupy the franchise's three two-way spots.
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NBA teams can carry only 15 players on standard contracts once the regular season begins.
So ... someone's got to go.
That doesn't necessarily mean someone will be outright waived. Utah has plenty of time before opening night, and a trade or another transaction could solve the numbers problem without the Jazz simply releasing anyone.
But if we're trying to identify which player could ultimately find himself on the outside looking in, there are a few logical candidates.
Ingram is certainly one.
The 23-year-old's Exhibit 10 contract makes him an obvious player to watch during training camp. He isn't guaranteed a regular-season roster spot simply because Utah signed him, and his opportunity over the next couple of months could essentially function as an audition.
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But Ingram is coming off an encouraging G League campaign.
The former first-round pick averaged 16.8 points, 12.3 rebounds and five assists last season, even earning G League Player of the Week honors after averaging 22.2 points, 13.4 rebounds and 7.4 assists over a five-game stretch.
If that production carries into training camp and the preseason, Utah could have a legitimate decision to make.
And that's where Mo Bamba enters the conversation.
The Jazz brought the 28-year-old center back on a two-year contract this summer after he briefly appeared for Utah last season. But his deal comes with very little immediate financial commitment .
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Bamba's $3.5 million salary for 2026-27 reportedly included only $200,000 guaranteed at signing, with another $500,000 becoming guaranteed if he remains on the roster into the regular season.
That doesn't mean Utah signed Bamba with the intention of eventually waiving him.
It does mean the Jazz maintained flexibility.
His position makes the situation even more interesting.
Utah already has Jusuf Nurkić and Jaxson Hayes as traditional centers, while Kyle Filipowski gives Will Hardy another young frontcourt option. Jaren Jackson Jr. can also slide to the five depending on how Utah constructs its lineups.
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That could leave Bamba competing for minutes at perhaps the most crowded position on the roster.
There are other veterans worth mentioning.
John Konchar 's role could become squeezed within a perimeter rotation featuring Keyonte George , Darryn Peterson, Ace Bailey , Cody Williams , Josh Okogie and others. Svi Mykhailiuk is another veteran on a roster increasingly built around younger pieces, although his 40.8 percent three-point shooting last season provides an easily identifiable skill.
That's what makes predicting Utah's eventual move difficult.
Ingram may simply be waived at the conclusion of camp. A trade could clear a roster spot before that becomes necessary. An injury could change the equation entirely.
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But if Ingram performs well enough to make Utah seriously consider keeping him, the Jazz will have to create room somewhere else.
And between Bamba's lightly guaranteed contract, Utah's existing frontcourt depth and the alternatives elsewhere on the roster, the veteran center appears to be one of the most logical names to watch.
Not necessarily the player Utah should move on from.
Just perhaps the one it could most easily afford to.
