Utah Jazz Waive Henry Sims

Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images

The Utah Jazz announced Thursday morning that they have waived center Henry Sims.  Sims average 6.3 minutes per game in the preseason and it was clear he was facing an uphill battle to make the roster, with several capable big men evidently in front of him for bench minutes: incumbent big men Trey Lyles and Jeff Withey, and newcomers Boris Diaw and Joel Bolomboy.

This move brings the Jazz roster to 16 players.  The team has until Monday to make one more cut to bring its roster to the limit of 15.  However, teams often make their final cuts 48 hours before the deadline so that the players have time to clear waivers.

The four most likely candidates that are sitting on the roster bubble are Withey, Bolomboy and guards Chris Johnson and Raul Neto.  Bolomboy reportedly has guaranteed money on his contract and the Sims waiver makes it look more likely that Withey, perhaps the only true center outside of starter Rudy Gobert, will make the team.

It likely comes down to Johnson or Neto for the final roster spot.  Johnson has a non-guaranteed contract, but Neto is someone the Jazz could look to trade to a point guard needy team if they decide they don’t want to carry four point guards.

Another possibility that many aren’t talking about is that neither player makes the team. As other teams make their final cuts, someone the Jazz really like could become available, like when Joe Ingles was during the Clippers’ preseason two years ago this month. As they did with Ingles, the Jazz could decide to do what’s necessary to add a desirable player, even if that means making an additional cut.