The Utah Jazz have added another name to the mix as training camp approaches, agreeing to a deal with free agent guard Matt Murrell.
Murrell isn’t walking into Utah blind. He spent the 2025-26 season with the Salt Lake City Stars in the G League, giving him a year of familiarity with the organization before this latest opportunity.
There’s also a little bit of history behind the move. According to KSL Sports’ Ben Anderson, the Jazz had interest in Murrell for their 2025 summer league roster, but a knee injury from his college days at Ole Miss kept him from joining up at the time.
“This is a long time in the making. Murrell was originally supposed be on the Jazz's 2025 Summer League Roster but a knee injury at Ole Miss prevented that from happening. Kind of a cool story to see him get his shot, whatever that looks like.”
Now the 24-year-old, 6-foot-3 guard, listed at 200 pounds, gets his chance with Utah in a bigger setting. He’s the Jazz’s second training camp signing so far, following former San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Ingram, and the team is expected to add a few more names before camp is set.
Murrell’s most recent work came in the G League, where he appeared in 31 games for the Stars last season. In a little more than 28 minutes per game, he averaged 10.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists while shooting 36.2% from the field. He also chipped in 1.2 steals per night.
For Murrell, the path is pretty clear: use preseason and camp reps to make an impression, then likely slide back into a longer G League role if he doesn’t crack the 15-man roster. The training camp deal still comes with a small bonus, and if things break right, a two-way contract could be next.
Utah still has room to keep shaping the roster, and with the recent trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves opening up another spot, the Jazz are expected to stay active as they look for one more training camp signing and possibly another standard contract before next season.
In Other News...
Danny Ainge's Jazz Draft Record Is Raising One Uncomfortable Question
Since Danny Ainge arrived in 2022, the Jazz have had plenty of draft capital and plenty of scrutiny to go with it. The early returns have been uneven, with high lottery picks Taylor Hendricks and Cody Williams still searching for traction after being slowed by injuries and early departures, while the front office has also unearthed some real intrigue deeper in the draft.
That mixed picture is what makes Utahs recent draft record so hard to pin down. Keyonte George, Brice Sensabaugh, Isaiah Collier and Kyle Filipowski have given the Jazz reason to believe the pipeline is producing more than just lottery swings, but the bigger question lingers around whether the organization has done enough with its premium picks to match the value it has found later. [Read more 🡒]
Jazz Just Sent A Clear Message About Their Young Core
The Jazz have spent the offseason making their direction unmistakable, trimming the edges of a once-bloated young core as they push harder toward winning now. Trading Taylor Hendricks and Walter Clayton Jr. in the Jaren Jackson Jr. deal, then moving Cody Williams for Josh Green, left Utah with a much smaller group of developmental pieces and a roster that looks less like a long rebuild and more like a team trying to accelerate its timeline.
What remains is still a promising cluster of youth, but it is now centered on Ace Bailey, Darryn Peterson, Kyle Filipowski, Brice Sensabaugh and Isaiah Collier. That balance matters for a franchise trying to keep enough upside in the pipeline while clearing room to evaluate the players it believes can fit a more competitive present, all while keeping an eye on the 2026 NBA Draft and the decisions that will come with it. [Read more 🡒]
Lauri Markkanen Is Giving Jazz Fans Real Reason To Believe
Lauri Markkanen has already given Jazz fans a pretty clear reminder of what he can look like when everything is clicking. Coming off a strong run for Finland at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, where he put up a double-double in three quarters, he heads into the upcoming NBA season as Utahs expected leader and best player. For a team still sorting out its direction, that kind of form matters more than ever.
The encouraging part for Utah is that this is not coming out of nowhere. Markkanen has shown before that he can carry real responsibility, and the Jazz are counting on him to take another step as the centerpiece. The bigger question now is whether his individual play can translate into the kind of team success that makes the optimism feel earned, which is where the real pressure begins. [Read more 🡒]