Jazz Agree to Sign Former Nuggets Wing to Two-Way Contract

The bulk of NBA free agency has yet to kick off around the league just yet. But it hasn't stopped the Utah Jazz from making moves on the market in the form of signing a new wing to a two-way contract.

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Jazz have agreed to sign Tamar Bates to a two-way deal.

Sources: The Utah Jazz plan to sign Tamar Bates to a two-way deal. He was sidelined with a foot injury as a two-way rookie for the Nuggets after averaging 19.5 points on 55% overall and 44% from 3-point range, 4.4 boards, 2.3 assists, and 1.5 steals in the G League last season. pic.twitter.com/hdQHMz6S7d
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) June 26, 2026

Bates now becomes the second two-way contract to be brought onto the Jazz's 21-man offseason roster, joining Blake Hinson, who's been signed on since the middle of last season.

And considering the news comes days before free agency negotiations officially open up around the league, Bates now becomes the first external signing for the Jazz for this offseason, likely with more to come in the days ahead.

What the Jazz Are Getting Out of Tamar Bates

Bates will technically be entering his second season in the NBA after being picked up as an undrafted free agent by the Denver Nuggets before the 2025-26 season.

The reason why it's only technically his second season was because of the injury-shortened implications that Bates had dealt with on his first two-way deal with the Nuggets last year.

Bates suffered a significant foot injury in December of 2025 that left him with a multiple-month recovery timeline, and unable to suit up for Denver, either in the NBA ranks, or in the G League with the Grand Rapids Gold.

Inevitably, he would be waived at the beginning of March, that's left him on the open market for the past few months. And considering he's been a free agent since the end of last season, it's allowed the Jazz to agree to a new deal with him in principle without stepping over any tampering guidelines.

Oct 6, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Denver Nuggets guard Tamar Bates (7) drives past Toronto Raptors forward Jamison Battle (77) in the second half at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images | Bob Frid-Imagn Images

Bates was a four-year college player who spent two years with Indiana, then went to Missouri for his junior and senior seasons. His best season in college actually came during his third year with the Tigers, where he averaged 13.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists while shooting 49.5% from the floor.

He's got a good size for an NBA guard at 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, with the ability to be a serviceable scoring threat in the backcourt, and is still only 23 years old, which gives him room to grow moving forward.

In terms of how he fits on the Jazz, Bates now becomes Utah's second of three two-way spots on their roster heading into next season––giving the Jazz some certainty for the back-end of their roster as Elijah Harkless is set to hit free agency, and Oscar Tshiebwe is ineligible to sign another two-way contract.

As long as Bates is healthy from his foot injury from this past season, which signs seem to hint towards him being back to 100%, he'll likely be among the names joining the Jazz's roster for summer league later next month, both in Salt Lake City and in Las Vegas.

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