Utah Jazz to Buyout Raja Bell


Raja Bell was a deeply unhappy chap in Utah last season, but his freedom (via a buyout by the Jazz) awaits him. Per the Salt Lake Tribune: “I’ve been given the greenlight and we’ve agreed to terms,’ said Bell, who’s set to make $3.4 million this season. […] Bell’s already drawn interest from several clubs since free agency began July 1, and he acknowledged teams such as Miami, Boston and the Los Angeles Lakers are interesting to him. He would not specify which organizations have recently shown interest, though, since his buyout had previously not been made public and he wants to respect the Jazz’s role in the process. […] ‘We typically play it pretty close to the vest. [Agent] Herb [Rudoy] and I are pretty private,’ Bell said. ‘But, in essence, [I’m] pretty much a free agent. I don’t think the Is are dotted and the Ts are crossed. But we’ve been given the greenlight by Utah to go ahead and find something that works for us. We’ve agreed to the terms. So I think it’s safe to say now we are in the market again and we’re entertaining our options at this point.’ Bell would prefer to join an organization that ‘wants to win’ and joked he’s too far along in his career to start rebuilding now. But he isn’t fixated upon only joining a large-market, win-now team, and he’s more concerned with finding the best fit for his game. ‘My agent and I are just trying to find a good [situation] and we’re exploring all our options,’ said Bell, who was Utah’s main free agent signing two years ago. Bell, 35, averaged 6.4 points and 1.4 rebounds last season while shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 39.1 percent behind the 3-point line in 34 games (33 starts). He only played in one contest after March 15, though, dealing with a left knee injury and publicly clashing with coach Tyrone Corbin.”