The Jazz are bringing back Jusuf Nurkic on a two-year, $22 million deal, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, keeping a veteran big man in place as Utah continues sorting out its frontcourt.
Utah picked up Nurkic from Charlotte last offseason to add size and experience inside, and that move became even more important when Walker Kessler went down with a season-ending shoulder injury. Nurkic ended up carrying a bigger load than expected before his own season wrapped up after nasal surgery. In 41 games, he posted 10.9 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists.
His return comes while the Jazz are still working on a new contract with restricted free agent Kessler. If Kessler is back in the mix, Nurkic would again give Utah a proven backup presence in the frontcourt.
Detroit is also making a move on a familiar face. The Pistons and Kevin Huerter have agreed to a three-year, $27 million contract, with the third year built in as a team option, per Charania.
Huerter came over from Chicago at the trade deadline, and the Pistons are banking on him finding his shot again after shoulder surgery slowed him down. He averaged 10.0 points across 69 games between the Bulls and Pistons last season, and Detroit is clearly looking at him as another shooter to pair with Cade Cunningham after recently adding Isaiah Joe. What that means for Duncan Robinson’s future with the team is still up in the air.
Out in Los Angeles, the Clippers picked up Brook Lopez’s $9.2 million team option while moving on from Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nicolas Batum, according to multiple reports.
Lopez, 38, averaged 8.5 points and 1.2 blocks last season and remains in the Clippers’ frontcourt plans even as the roster keeps shifting. Bogdanovic and Batum are now set to hit unrestricted free agency.
Bogdanovic was limited to 23 games because of injuries and has already been connected to overseas clubs and the Nuggets. Batum, who turns 38 later this year, now has to decide whether to keep playing or think about retirement.
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For a team that has spent plenty of time weighing how to balance short-term competitiveness with longer-term flexibility, the move suggests the young core is still part of the conversation. The qualifying offers give the Clippers first crack if another team comes calling with an offer sheet, and the front office now has a bit of leverage as free agency settles in around a trio it appears reluctant to lose. [Read more 🡒]