Contemporary off one other spectacular displaying on the worldwide stage, veteran level guard Patty Mills has agreed to a one-year take care of the Utah Jazz, in keeping with Adrian Wojnarowski. Mills will earn $3.3 million subsequent season and the contract is absolutely assured.
Mills, now 36 years outdated, averaged 16.5 factors per recreation for Australia through the 2024 Paris Olympics and helped his nation attain the quarterfinals. There, he hit a buzzer beater on the finish of regulation to ship the sport to additional time, however the Boomers ultimately fell to Nikola Jokic and Serbia.
A second-round choose by the Portland Path Blazers again in 2009, this shall be Mills’ sixteenth NBA season and sixth franchise. Over these years, he is additionally performed for the San Antonio Spurs, the place he gained a title in 2014, the Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks and Miami Warmth. He additionally frolicked abroad in China and his native Australia.
It is going to be attention-grabbing to see what kind of function Mills has with the Jazz. He solely performed 32 video games final season with the Hawks and Warmth, and is nicely previous his prime. His deal is absolutely assured for the upcoming season, although, so the Jazz clearly see worth in having him across the whole manner. Whether or not that is as an precise contributor or extra of a mentor determine within the locker room for a few of their younger guards stays to be seen.
After a flurry of latest strikes, the Jazz have an especially crowded backcourt. Final yr’s first-round choose, Keyonte George, figures to be the start line guard alongside Collin Sexton, whereas Jordan Clarkson has solidified the sixth-man spot. Rounding out the backcourt depth chart is No. 29 total choose Isaiah Collier, Mills and fellow latest signings Johnny Juzang and Svi Mykhailiuk.
The Jazz are coming off a 31-51 season that had them caught in no-man’s land, and it is laborious to see how they escape after spinning their wheels this summer season. They gave Lauri Markkanen an enormous extension and introduced again largely the identical roster. Higher damage luck ought to assist, however they do not have the expertise to make any noise within the loaded Western Convention.
