Utah Jazz Fill Final Two-Way Slots: What it Means for Roster

Tshiebwe, the former Naismith Trophy winner, will spend his second season with the Jazz after an impressive first year with the team. As is the case with most two-way players, he spent most of the year in the G-League playing for the Salt Lake City Stars, where he was dominant.

Tshiebwe averaged a ridiculous 18.2 rebounds to go along with 16.1 points and 2.8 assists per game. His play was recognized with All-G-League First Team honors at the end of this past season. Expect Big O to continue to be dominant in the G-League as part of the Jazz organization.

Additionally, he was impressive in his opportunities to play for the Jazz last season. In 14 games, Tshiebwe averaged 7.6 points and 8.7 rebounds in 18 minutes per game. His rebounding obviously stood out, as did his infectious effort and positive personality. Those things are invaluable to a team, and with the Jazz looking to turn a corner, having a beloved personality in the locker room will help.

John Tonje

Another college standout, Tonje was Utah’s second-round draft pick this year, and his high-level shotmaking should benefit the Stars immediately. A 6’5 wing, Tonje was impressive in his sixth year of college basketball, averaging 19.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game.

I expect him to get plenty of opportunities with the Salt Lake City Stars to refine his game into what can hopefully turn into a rotational caliber 3 & D piece. At a minimum, he’s a good basketball player who has clear skills that he can lean on.

Roster Crunch

These two signings helped to clarify this Jazz roster with a few weeks left before training camp. With Tshiebwe, Tonje, and Elijah Harkless on two-way contracts, the Jazz have 16 players on standard deals, though there are a couple of ways this can be remedied.

First, KJ Martin is on a non-guaranteed contract for the 2025-26 season, and it has already been reported that the Jazz do not plan to bring him back. Why a move hasn’t been made is likely to keep their trade options open for salary-matching purposes.

Next, Kevin Love, whom the Jazz acquired in the John Collins trade, is a clear buyout candidate. Does the soon-to-be 37-year-old want to hang out on a rebuilding Jazz team in the twilight of his career? All signs point to no.

Lastly, the Jazz could still be active in trade talks to help other teams with unwanted salary on their books, similar to the Georges Niang trade they worked out. The Jazz have several veteran salaries that they could reroute in exchange for more assets before the season begins. Regardless, getting deals for Tshiebwe and Tonje have cleared the way for that to happen.

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