Former Jazz Forward Signs Overseas Deal With Guangdong Tigers

The Utah Jazz will have another departure from last season's roster.

Apr 9, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Darius Bazley (21) goes to the basket against Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. (1) during the fourth quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

It looks like there's set to be some more turnover on the Utah Jazz roster ahead of their 2024-25 season.

According to Sportando, former Jazz forward Darius Bazley will be taking his talents overseas to China, as he's signed a one-year deal to join the Guangdong Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association.

Bazley was a midseason addition for the Jazz during their 2023-24 campaign, appearing in the second half of the season for six games with Utah. In his time in a Jazz uniform, the former first-round pick averaged 8.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 23 minutes a night. He also shot a strong 62.1% from the field and 25.0% from three-point range.

Bazley was the 23rd-overall pick back in the summer of 2019, selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder-- where he spent the first three and a half seasons before being traded to the Phoenix Suns in 2023. While the 24-year-old had shown some promise as a two-way impact player early in his career, things never quite panned out to generate significant staying power in an NBA rotation.

The Tigers already have had a few former NBA talents to appear on their roster from last season, including names like Tremont Waters, MarShon Brooks, Jordan Bell, and Jianlian Yi. Now, Bazley will join the fold as another option in their frontcourt.

Happy trails to the former Jazz forward as he now takes on a new challenge with the Tigers.

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