Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN has been informed by sources that the Jazz have decided to sign veteran point guard Patty Mills to a one-year contract.
According to Wojnarowski, the deal is for $3.3 million, which is the same as Mills’ minimum salary of $3,303,771 for 2024–2025. Woj continues, “It will be 100% guaranteed.”
This autumn, Mills—who turned 36 on August 11—will begin his 16th NBA season. The 2009 second-round pick spent the majority of his prime years in San Antonio, where he won a title in 2014 and worked as an assistant under Gregg Popovich from 2015 to 21. Hardy is currently the head coach of the Jazz. The pick has played in 892 regular-season games for five different teams.
In recent years, Mills’ playing time and output have decreased. Despite playing in 32 games for the Hawks and Heat in 2023–24, he only averaged 4.0 points, 1.1 assists, and 1.1 rebounds in 13.0 minutes per game. His career averages of 42.4% and 38.6%, respectively, were far worse. He shot 35.1% from the field and 27.6% from beyond the arc.
Nonetheless, the Australian demonstrated that he still had it during the Olympics in Paris this year. Throughout the Boomers’ four games, he averaged 16.5 points per game with a.409 three-point percentage.
Keyonte George, a second-year guard with the Jazz, will look up to Mills as a mentor and leader in the locker room. He is expected to provide depth at point guard by occupying the fifteenth and last slot on Utah’s roster.
In addition, the team has three players on two-way contracts and fourteen more players on conventional guaranteed contracts. Once Mills is officially signed, the team’s roster will effectively be ready for the regular season, though it’s possible that the front office may continue to haggle during the remainder of the summer and preseason.
The Jimmy Butler Era in Miami Was Just Killed by Bam Adebayo’s Olympic Run.
Bam Adebayo was reduced to a supporting role on an overmatched Team USA, so his performance at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris won’t be particularly noteworthy.
In 16.1 minutes per game, he averaged 6.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists.
But in the six US bouts, he was a plus-32, which more appropriately reflected his influence on the team’s drive to a fifth consecutive Gold Medal.
When he was the best player on the court against South Sudan, he had his best performance. In 21 minutes, he scored 18 points on 8 of 10 shots and 2 of 3 from three. He also contributed two blocks, a steal, and seven rebounds.
Even though LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, and Anthony Davis all got more attention than him, Adebayo demonstrated how his adaptable style could benefit any team.
It has become evident that the Miami Heat must remove Jimmy Butler’s car keys and give them to Adebayo as he prepares to return to the NBA in 2024–25.
Miami’s Bam Adebayo Is No Longer the Future
Adebayo demonstrated his ability to play a supporting role in Paris. The Heat should allow him to cook like a champion.
Bam is one of the league’s most underappreciated players on a regular basis. As a full-time starter, he was selected for the first time to the All-Star team in the 2019–20 season, when he averaged 15.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.3 blocks. On 11.0 attempts per game, he had a 55.7 percent field goal percentage.
He has averaged 19.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.1 stocks (steals plus blocks) throughout the course of the next four seasons. He has been selected for two additional All-Star teams, five All-Defensive teams, and five straight seasons in which he has placed among the top five candidates for Defensive Player of the Year.
Butler has averaged 21.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.7 assists throughout that period. During those five seasons, he has only appeared in more than 60 games once. This year, as he approaches 35, he may be taking use of the reputation of “Playoff Jimmy,” which he freely gained during the postseasons of 2022 and 2023.
Bam Adebayo vs. Jimmy Butler (2019-20 to 2023-24) | ||
---|---|---|
Category | Bam Adebayo | Jimmy Butler |
GP | 338 | 291 |
All-Star Games | 3 | 2 |
All-Defense Teams | 5 | 1 |
DPOY Voting | 5th, 4th, 4th, 5th, 3rd | 10th, 12th |
But last year, Adebayo led the Heat in minutes, scoring, and rebounds when Butler was absent from Miami’s opening-round series loss to the Boston Celtics. Despite averaging 19.4 field goals per game (almost four more than any other Miami player), he was second in assists and shot 49.5 percent from the floor.