The Utah Jazz still have one roster decision hanging out there as the 2026-27 season creeps closer, and President Austin Ainge isn’t locking himself into a quick answer.
Utah currently has 14 players on traditional contracts, one shy of the NBA’s 15-man limit. That leaves the front office with room to either keep the final spot open or fill it before the season begins. Ainge said the team is keeping every avenue on the table, including a camp contract, a free-agent addition, or a trade.
"We always look at everything," Ainge said of the Jazz's last roster spot. "I've got a group of people that sit on whiteboards and invent ideas all day.
So, we'll look at opportunities. It could come internally in camp, it could come externally.
It could be trades."
"You never know what pops up, but we know we're not a finished product as a team--not that you ever can be. Even teams that win championships have to adjust constantly. So, we'll be looking for anything that makes us better."
That openness fits the way Utah has operated before. The Jazz had been carrying a full 15-man group not long ago, but the roster changed when they made a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves to bring in Josh Green a few weeks before training camp. Cody Williams and John Konchar went the other way in that deal, giving Utah more depth and defensive upside on the perimeter.
Now the Jazz have more flexibility with that final slot than they did before, and that gives them room to chase a better fit if one shows up.
The possibilities are wide open. Utah could make another trade to strengthen the second unit, add someone already in the building on a two-way or camp deal like Harrison Ingram or Blake Hinson, or turn to a veteran still on the market such as Kevin Love or Kelly Olynyk.
There’s no rush just yet. Utah’s season opener doesn’t arrive until late October, and the Jazz already meet the 14-man roster minimum if they decide to leave things alone for now.
Even so, this doesn’t sound like a front office planning to sit still. The Jazz have shown they’re willing to keep working the roster right up to the edge of the new season, and that final spot remains very much in play.
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