Forward Jarrell Brantley was waived by the Utah Jazz on Thursday, bringing their standard roster down to 14 players.
Brantley, the 50th overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, played 37 games for the Jazz over the course of those seasons, though nearly all of those were garbage-time appearances. In the end, he averaged 2.4 points per game in his 6.3 minutes per contest.
The forward looked like a potential diamond in the rough after his 2019 rookie summer league performance, and a decent first-year campaign with the G-League Salt Lake City Stars as well. Standing at 6-5 but a bulky 250 pounds, Brantley moves lithely on the floor, especially in the open court. He averaged 18.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game for the Stars in that rookie season, and the Jazz brought him back on a second two-way contract the next year.
But last year was tougher for the College of Charleston draftee, playing just one game with the Stars and not being able to make an impact at the NBA level. A disappointing performance during this year’s summer league seemingly sealed his fate.
Still, the Jazz had offered him a qualifying offer for the 2021-22 season, an offer that guaranteed him about $84,000 should he choose to accept. While most players end up ignoring the qualifying offer in order to sign a larger contract, Brantley and his camp looked at the market and decided to accept it. As the Jazz have now waived him, Brantley will earn that money, plus whatever salary he’s able to find on the international basketball market for the 2021-22 season with another squad.
Meanwhile, the Jazz could choose to fill the 15th spot for the upcoming season, but it’s perhaps more likely that they’ll leave it open for now, given that they currently stand well over the luxury tax and would have to pay multiples of any free agent signing’s contract. Staying with 14 roster players for now would also allow them more flexibility in signing a player in the buyout market later in the season.
