Jazz Release Pair of Former First-Round Picks

It was a busy day at Utah Jazz HQ

Apr 12, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Utah Jazz forward Kenneth Lofton Jr. (34) is greets guard Keyonte George (3) and forward Darius Bazley (21) during the second quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports / Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

The Utah Jazz are releasing former first-round picks, Kenny Lofton Jr. and Darius Bazley. Jazz beat writer Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune reported the news via "X".

The Jazz officially waived both Kenny Lofton and Darius Bazley today.

— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) July 24, 2024

Both players were picked up by the Jazz last season and performed well when given the opportunity, but with the Jazz rostering five first-round picks over the last two drafts, there just wasn't enough room.

Lofton Jr. has been well-traveled in his short time in the NBA. Drafted in 2022 by the Memphis Grizzlies, Lofton has logged 45 games in the NBA. He only played in four contests for Utah and averaged 13.8 points and five rebounds per game. This includes a 27-point and nine-rebound performance versus the Los Angeles Clippers.

Bazley has a little more experience as a pro. He's logged 237 games in the NBA, mostly with the Oklahoma City Thunder, who drafted him in 2019. In his short stint in Utah, Bazley averaged 8.0 points per game in six contests.

This shouldn't come too much of a surprise to Jazz fans, considering what transpired over the Summer League. The emergence of Kyle Fililpowski may have sealed their fate regarding playing the year in Salt Lake City. The second-round pick out of Duke had a 26-point game in Utah's finale against the Detroit Pistons.

With Lofton Jr. and Bazley out of the picture, Filipowski will likely start the year with the Jazz and not in the G-League. Also, the Jazz saved $800,000 in salary with today's release. Both players were guaranteed $400,000 if they remained on the roster after Wednesday.

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