The Utah Jazz agreed to a four year $73 million deal with free agent forward Bojan Bogdanovic, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Bogdanovic averaged 18 points, four rebounds, and two assists per game, shooting 49% from the floor and 42% from the three point line last season.
According to the Athletic’s Tony Jones, the Jazz may be planning to start Bogdanovic at the small forward position, and will look to fill the starting power forward position with their remaining cap space.
Bogdanovic provides the Jazz with an elite three point shooter, averaging two makes on 4.8 attempts last season. The Jazz now have a strong ability to spread the floor around Rudy Gobert with Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell, Joe Ingles, and Bogdanovic on the floor.
The Jazz now have three players between Conley, Mitchell, and Bogdanovic who averaged 18 points per game or better last season, giving the Jazz one of the league’s most potent scoring trios in the league.
If Bogdanovic is to start at the SF position, the Jazz will have a potent playmaker in Ingles to come off the bench, and finish games.
The signing signals the end of Derrick Favors tenure in Utah, the central piece of the Deron Williams trade. Favors was a reliable starter, but never made an All-Star team, or truly ascended to star status with the Jazz.
Jazz VP of Basketball Operations Dennis Lindsey said the Jazz would be targeting snipers this summer in free agency, and found one of the best available in Bogdanovic.
This is the Jazz current lineup, assuming Bogdanovic’s contract allows them to bring back Raul Neto next season.
PG: Conley/Exum/Neto
SG: Mitchell/O’Neale
SF: Ingles/
PF: Bogdanovic/Niang
C: Gobert/Bradley
That’s 10 players under contract, with a maximum of 15 players allowed, the Jazz will need to find backups (plus a potential starter at forward) on minimum contracts. I would suspect the Jazz will look for at least one, and likely two additional versatile front court players that can play either Power Forward or Center, an additional wing defender, and another shooter.
