Jazz Waive Forward Malik Fitts
Jan 13, 2022, 3:00 PM | Updated: 3:02 pm
Former Utah Jazz forward Malik Fitts (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz have waived two-way forward Malik Fitts.
On Thursday the team announced it was waiving Fitts after it was learned that the forward had a fractured left wrist and was set to miss the next four weeks after being placed in a hard cast earlier this week.
Fitts originally signed with the Jazz in October and appeared in seven regular season games averaging 0.9 points and 1.4 rebounds while shooting 22 percent from the floor and 50 percent from the three-point line.
The @utahjazz announce they’ve waived two-way forward Malik Fitts.
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) January 13, 2022
Fitts was on a two-way contract with the Jazz which allowed him to split time between the main roster and the Salt Lake City Stars while making half the wage of a rookie on a minimum contract.
Second-year guard Trent Forrest currently fills the other two-way roster spot for the Jazz.
Fitts joined the Jazz shortly after the team returned from their Las Vegas training camp during the preseason but made an impression in his limited time on the floor.
The forward averaged 3.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in just under 12 minutes during the preseason, but shot an impressive 83 percent from the three-point line on 1.5 attempts per game.
“I think the first thing that jumped out is just the consistency of his shooting,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “I think when he shoots the ball, especially when his feet are set you think it’s going in.”
MAKE IT MAKE SENSE https://t.co/2c3818gleL pic.twitter.com/sqAFZBZdCB
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 8, 2022
The Jazz were Fitts’s second NBA team after spending time with the Los Angeles Clippers organization last season where he averaged 1.0 points and 1.0 rebounds in three regular season appearances.
Fitts played a career-high 21 minutes for the Jazz in last week’s 122-108 loss to the Toronto Raptors. The second-year forward scored a career-best six points and grabbed seven rebounds in his final appearance for the team.
The Jazz have been ravaged by the coronavirus over the last week have signed a multitude of players during the stretch. The team can use Fitts former spot to add depth to the roster.
The move leaves the Jazz with two open traditional roster spots and one two-way spot.
