Mo Bamba is headed back to Utah.
The Jazz are bringing the 28-year-old center back on a two-year contract, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Bamba spent a short stretch with Utah last season, signing a pair of 10-day deals on February 26 and March 8. The second one didn’t last long - it was terminated after five days so the Jazz could add Bez Mbeng. Even in that brief run, Bamba gave Utah a useful look, appearing in two games and averaging five points, 10 rebounds and one block in 19 minutes per night.
His return comes at a time when Utah’s frontcourt has been thinned out. The Jazz agreed to a sign-and-trade sending Walker Kessler to the Lakers, leaving Jusuf Nurkic and Jaxson Hayes as the other bigs on the roster. Nurkic is expected to re-sign for two years, while Hayes agreed to a two-year deal in free agency.
Once all of the deals are finalized, Utah will have 14 players on standard contracts. All three of the team’s two-way spots are already filled.
Bamba entered the league with plenty of promise after Orlando took him sixth overall in the 2018 draft, but his path has been a winding one since then. He was traded to the Lakers during the 2022/23 season and has since had brief stops with the Sixers, Clippers and Pelicans. He also spent about a week with the Raptors last winter.
Before that short NBA return, Bamba had already been getting work in Utah’s system. He played part of last season with the Salt Lake City Stars, the Jazz’s G League affiliate, and produced 16.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 26.6 minutes across 10 games, including five starts.
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