Terrell Brown Jr. joins Utah’s packed roster following a historic G League championship run, bringing elite playmaking and veteran poise to a competitive battle for playing time.
The Utah Jazz are apparently just about finished filling out their offseason roster ... and their latest addition is an interesting one.
Free agent guard Terrell Brown Jr. has reached an agreement with Utah, his agent Daniel Hazan told NBA insider Chris Haynes.
The terms of Brown's deal haven't been reported, which leaves an important question unanswered.
What exactly are the Jazz planning to do with him?
Utah already has 15 players under standard contracts and all three of its two-way spots occupied. Harrison Ingram also reportedly agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with the Jazz earlier this summer.
Brown would therefore bring Utah's offseason roster to 20 players, just one below the NBA's limit of 21.
And considering the amount of young talent already present in the backcourt, there isn't exactly an obvious path to playing time.
Keyonte George is coming off a breakout season in which he averaged 23.6 points and 6.1 assists. Isaiah Collier remains another young piece after averaging 7.2 assists last season, and Utah just used the No. 2 overall pick on Darryn Peterson.
But Brown's résumé makes him an intriguing player to evaluate, regardless of where the Jazz ultimately envision him fitting.
The 28-year-old has spent the last four seasons in the G League and already had 150 games under his belt by January.
Last season may have been his most impressive yet.
Brown averaged 11.2 points, 6.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds for the Greensboro Swarm while helping the Charlotte Hornets' G League affiliate capture its first championship.
And he's apparently learned something throughout all that time trying to break through to the NBA.
"They pay dudes a whole bunch of money to score the ball," Brown told the Swarm's Sam Perley in January. "To get where I pray to get to, it's the other things, the intangible things, where you come in and get those dudes the ball."
That's quite the realization for someone who averaged 21.7 points and led the Pac-12 in scoring during his final collegiate season at Washington.
Brown has backed it up, too.
He became the first player in G League history to record consecutive triple-doubles off the bench last season, dishing out 13 assists against the Texas Legends before setting a career high with 15 against the Grand Rapids Gold three days later.
His play carried into the postseason.
Brown scored 24 points with six assists off the bench in Greensboro's Eastern Conference championship victory before adding 18 points in Game 1 of the G League Finals. The Swarm eventually swept the Stockton Kings to capture the title.
So Utah isn't taking a chance on an inexperienced prospect here.
Brown has spent years in the G League, won at its highest level and adjusted his game along the way.
What we don't know yet is what kind of opportunity the Jazz are actually giving him.
Until the details of Brown's agreement emerge, it's impossible to say whether Utah views him as legitimate competition for a standard roster spot or has another developmental path in mind.
But with one offseason roster spot remaining, the Jazz clearly saw enough in one of the G League's most experienced guards to give him a closer look.
Now we wait to find out exactly what that look entails.
