Jazz To Sign Tamar Bates To Two-Way Contract

The Jazz intend to sign free agent guard Tamar Bates to a two-way contract, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter).

Bates became an unrestricted free agent in March when he was waived by the Nuggets.

The 23-year-old quickly caught on with Denver on a two-way deal last summer after going undrafted out of Missouri, but his rookie season was derailed in December when he underwent surgery to repair a fracture in his left foot.

Although Bates has yet to make his NBA season debut, he was productive and highly efficient in the G League with Denver’s affiliate team, the Grand Rapids Gold, averaging 19.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals on .549/.441/.903 shooting splits in 13 games (33.2 minutes per contest).

Two-way contracts, which allow a team to shuttle a player back and forth between the NBA and the G League, are non-guaranteed and don’t count against the salary cap. Bates projects to earn $679K next season, assuming he sticks with Utah beyond the league-wide salary guarantee date in January.

Elijah Harkless, Oscar Tshiebwe and Blake Hinson ended last season on two-way deals with the Jazz. Bates will reportedly be replacing one of those players.