Report: Former Jazz Guard Jared Butler Finds Home In G League
Nov 2, 2022, 2:46 PM
Utah Jazz summer league guard Jared Butler (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
(Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Former Utah Jazz guard Jared Butler will reportedly sign with the Grand Rapid Golds of the G League.
Marc Stein reported the news on his SubStack page.
“Jared Butler will be joining the @NBAGrandRapids Gold and new coach Andre Miller, league sources say,” Stein tweeted.
Jared Butler will be joining the @NBAGrandRapids Gold and new coach Andre Miller, league sources say.
Butler was squeezed out of a roster spot in Utah by a roster crunch in Jazz camp and will be closely watched by NBA teams looking for guard help.
More: https://t.co/LGN9cV7Dif
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) November 2, 2022
Butler was surprisingly waived by the Jazz shortly after training camp ended despite being drafted by the team with eh 40th pick of the 2021 NBA Draft.
As a rookie, the guard played in 42 games and averaged 3.8 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per contest while shooting 40 percent from the field and 31 percent from the three-point line.
“Butler was squeezed out of a roster spot in Utah by a roster crunch in Jazz camp and will be closely watched by NBA teams looking for guard help,” according to Stein.
The Baylor product appeared in three of the four preseason games for the Jazz. Against the Toronto Raptors, the second-year guard had three points, one rebound, one assist, one steal, and three turnovers in nine minutes on the floor. He shot 1-of-6 from the field.
The @utahjazz have their roster set ahead of the season opener.#TakeNote https://t.co/B9NeUnZ1dp
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 15, 2022
In the preseason win over Portland, Butler finished with seven points, one rebound, and two assists on 2-for-2 shooting in six minutes. The last preseason appearance for Butler was his best when he scored 13 points, seven assists, seven rebounds, two steals, and a blocked shot in 27 minutes against the San Antonio Spurs.
Butler previously spent time in the G League as a member of the Salt Lake City Stars.
Butler Will Play For Former Ute Great Andre Miller
In Grand Rapids Butler will play for former University of Utah great and long-time NBA point guard Andre Miller.
Miller was named the head coach of the Gold in August, replacing outgoing head coach Jason Terry who accepted a job on Will Hardy’s staff with the Jazz earlier in the summer.
Miller enjoyed a productive career at the University of Utah where he led the Utes to the NCAA title game in 1998 and was named an All-American in his senior season.
Former @UtahMBB great Andre Miller will take over as the head coach of the Grand Rapids Gold in the NBA G League.
He replaces Jason Terry who now works for the @utahjazz.
Congrats Coach! 🙌https://t.co/2LKwbHMd3l
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) August 31, 2022
The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Miller with the eighth pick in the 1999 NBA Draft where he went on to carve out an impressive 17-year professional career.
The former Ute had modest career averages of 12.5 points, 6.5 assists, and 3.7 rebounds but was one of the most consistent and durable guards in the league. Miller missed just three games due to injury during his lengthy career with nine different NBA teams.
The guard retired after the 2015-16 season at the age of 39 and moved into coaching. According to ESPN, Miller had been coaching at the Balboa School, a post-graduate prep school in San Diego since 2020.
Miller is the Utes’ all-time leader in steals and ranks second in total assists.
