The Utah Jazz have once again added one of Australia’s most well-known basketball players to the roster.
Rather than Joe Ingles or Dante Exum, this time, it’s 15-year NBA veteran Patty Mills, who signed a one-year, $3.3 million deal with the Jazz that is fully guaranteed. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was first to report the news.
Mills just turned 36 on Sunday, but the Jazz will be hoping he still has something to offer them on and off the court. Mills struggled to find playing time last year with both the Atlanta Hawks and the Miami Heat, playing in a total of 32 games with the two teams. He averaged 4.0 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 13 minutes per game.
But Mills, who perhaps made most of his reputation as part of the championship San Antonio Spurs team is also highly regarded as a veteran leader off the court. Jazz head coach Will Hardy worked alongside Mills for much of that 10-year run under legendary head coach Gregg Popovich.
The Australian is also well known for his charitable works, founding the Team Mills Foundation, which supports minority and underprivileged groups in his homeland and elsewhere. In 2020, Mills donated his entire salary from the NBA’s COVID bubble — $1.5 million — to charity.
Other signings
With star forward Lauri Markkanen’s $238 million extension on the books, the Utah Jazz began finalizing their offseason acquisitions this week.
The Jazz have now officially signed:
• Drew Eubanks, the 27-year-old center who spent last season with the Phoenix Suns. The Oregon State product has averaged 5.9 points and 4.6 rebounds over 323 games with the Spurs, Blazers and Suns in his career.
• Svi Mykhailiuk, the 6-foot-7 forward who appeared in 41 games last season for the champion Boston Celtics. The 27-year-old out of Kansas averaged 4 points and shot 38.9% from beyond the arc.
• Kyle Filipowski, a 7-foot rookie out of Duke. The 32nd overall pick in the draft, Filipowski averaged 15.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game over two seasons with the Blue Devils.
• Johnny Juzang, who appeared in 20 games last season with the Jazz. The 23-year-old posted a career-high 27 points after shooting 7-of-8 from deep against Golden State in April.
• Oscar Tshiebwe, who signed a two-way contract. The 6-9 forward spent last season on a two-way deal with Indiana, earning G League Rookie of the Year honors along the way.
