Utah Jazz: Which free agents should they bring back?

Tyler Cavanaugh

Cavanaugh appeared in just 11 games for the Jazz this past season, averaging 0.8 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game. Considering that Cavanaugh spent 41 games playing for the Jazz’s G League affiliate (the Salt Lake City Stars) while also taking into account that he wasn’t drafted by the Jazz and faces a tough path to playing time, the Jazz should likely just cut ties. If Cavanaugh is brought back, it will likely just be for organizational depth.

Verdict: Let go 

Georges Niang

After starting off his career getting next to no playing time with the Indiana Pacers, Georges Niang made his way to the Jazz organization. Since coming to Salt Lake City, the former Iowa State forward has shown flashes of being a solid rotational player and sound defender when given the opportunity by head coach Quin Snyder.

The question now is whether he will continue to be given the opportunity to prove he deserves a spot on a team that’s on the cusp of contention. His $1.6 million salary for 2019-20 is non-guaranteed.

Niang went 43-for-105 this past season from distance (41.0 percent). That’s not a small sample, but it’s also the largest sample available in Niang’s young career.

With that being said, it can’t hurt to bring back Niang to see if he can carve out some minutes at the end of the bench with his growing familiarity with this Jazz roster and Snyder’s system.

Verdict: Keep

Thabo Sefolosha

Unrestricted free agent Thabo Sefolosha has seen a lot. The Jazz are his fourth team and next season would be his third with Utah. Statistically speaking, Sefolosha was Utah’s best 3-point shooter in 2018-19 at 43.6 percent, and even made two starts for the team.

Sefolosha is also going to be 34 when next season starts and only averaged 12.2 minutes per game last season after averaging 21.2 in his first season with the Jazz. Sefolosha has long been regarded as a solid defender and a player with a high basketball IQ. However, with his decreased playing time, people have began to forget about the veteran forward.

There are worse end-of-bench options/veterans to have on your team and Sefolosha is still one of the better ones.

Verdict: Keep, but only on a reasonable contract