Tonight, the second half of the 2023-24 season starts. For Utah, they are 26-30 in their first 56 games. The Jazz play in a tough Western Conference and currently are in 11th place. At the 2023-24 trade deadline, Utah traded Kelly Olynyk Ochai Agbaji to the Raptors. In that deal, they received 30-year-old Otto Porter Jr. from Toronto.
Porter Jr. has been with Utah for four games and has not seen action. The team is committed to playing rookie forward Taylor Hendricks. That’s why the Jazz will allow Porter Jr. the chance for a potential contract buyout. He would need to sign before March 1 to be able to play with a team that makes the postseason. Will the 30-year-old be able to find a new home in the next week?
What team could benefit from signing Otto Porter Jr. this late in the season?
Otto Porter Jr. is a potential buyout candidate, having returned home and been away from the Utah Jazz, per @Tjonesonthenba
“The 30-year-old Porter…is fully healthy and ready to play, according to league sources. His options include accepting a contract buyout from the Jazz,… pic.twitter.com/5uyPUC8Yll
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 22, 2024
According to Tony Jones of The Athletic, Otto Porter Jr. has returned home to his family and is evaluating his opportunities. Utah made it clear that the 2022 NBA champion was not going to see time with the Jazz. They were not going to hold him hostage and make him sit on the bench for the rest of the season. Reports say that Porter Jr. is fully healthy and is ready to play. We’ll have to see just how many teams are willing to take a chance on him this late in the season.
After winning a championship with the Warriors in 2021-22, Porter Jr. was with the Raptors in 2022-23. Last season, he appeared in just eight games and made only two starts. His availability had become an issue for Toronto and they were willing to trade Porter Jr. at the deadline. Utah was never going to use the veteran forward and simply used him to trade away two of their players. Now, he must find a new team before March 1 if he wants to play in the 2023-24 postseason.
League Sources: An update on Utah Jazz forward Otto Porter Jr. – https://t.co/4dcilFlsZF
— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) February 21, 2024
At this point in the season, it’s hard to tell who might try and sign Porter Jr. if he is bought out by Utah. The second half of 2023-24 is about to start tonight and several teams already have their rosters set. However, there will certainly be a team that could use the services of Porter Jr. off the bench. At his best, Porter Jr. is an excellent defender who can also space the floor with his three-point accuracy. The 30-year-old has just over a week to sign with a team in order to be eligible for the postseason.
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