It has been known over the past week that veteran point guard John Lucas III and the Utah Jazz had agreed to terms on a contract. On Monday the Jazz officially signed Lucas after a physical. The signing is an interesting one, most notably because the contract is for two years. Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune tweeted:
John Lucas III’s contract with the Jazz will be for 2 years, $3.2 million, @sltrib has learned.
— Eric Walden (@tribjazz) July 22, 2013
This is important for a couple of reasons. First, Lucas has done nothing of significance in his NBA career. He played two years in the NBA from 2005-07 during which he averaged about eight minutes per game, not quite three points a game, less than one assist per game, on 39 percent shooting. He then spent three straight seasons outside of the NBA, splitting time between the D-League, Italy, Spain and China. Lucas returned for the 2010-11 season with the Chicago Bulls, but hardly played. He has been in the NBA through last season, but still has yet to make much of an impression. He has yet to shoot 40 percent from the field for a season or average 15 minutes a game. It is also important to remember that one of the Jazz’s main objectives over the last two offseasons has been to amass and hold on to as many expiring contracts as possible. By doing so, Utah retains tremendous flexibility. Therefore, it is somewhat surprising that Lucas has been signed to a multi-year deal.
If you’re going to sign a point guard to a minimum contract, why not a fairly young, unproven player that might surprise if given an opportunity ? Why not buy out the contract of your brand new second-round pick of this year’s draft (point guard Raul Neto) instead of keeping him in Spain for another year? If you’re answer to those questions is that you wanted a more veteran role model for Trey Burke, why not sign Jamaal Tinsley or Earl Watson, who have experience with the organization, have had successful careers and could be had for very small contracts? The new contract also raises another question: Will the next point guard on the team be the backup or third string?
It has been thought that bringing in John Lucas III was a move to help the Jazz be bad. A move that kills two birds with one NBA-player-sized stone. Again, the Jazz may not want to be very good next season as it will help them secure a better draft pick in what is thought to be a tremendously talented draft. The move also forces coach Tyrone Corbin, notorious for not giving his young players enough minutes, to give the lion’s share of point guard minutes to rookie Trey Burke. However, with a two-year deal, there may be more to the move than previously thought. Maybe Lucas has actually been brought in to be the main backup and occasional starter. If this is the case, whatever Dennis Lindsey sees in Lucas has not been shared with the rest of the NBA over the last eight seasons.