Utah Jazz Waive Former Lottery Pick in Subtle Roster Move

A slight change to the end of the roster for the Utah Jazz.

Mar 5, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Utah Jazz center Mo Bamba (11) attempts a dunk as Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) defends in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Utah Jazz are shaking up their roster with just under a month to go in the regular season.

According to The Salt Lake Tribune's Kevin Reynolds, the Jazz have waived veteran big man Mo Bamba from his second 10-day contract.

Bamba's time comes to an end with the Jazz a bit prematurely, as, according to Reynolds, Bamba would inevitably contract an illness that left him unable to travel for Utah's upcoming road trip and left him out against the New York Knicks.

Therefore, as his 10-day contract was set to expire before the Jazz returned home from their road trip, it left the team to cut him from the roster before that time came, thus opening a roster spot for Utah to utilize, and leaves Bamba to hit the open market once again.

Bamba would play a limited time with the Jazz in the two games he was elevated in the Jazz's rotation, averaging over 19 minutes a game in those pair of appearances, logging 5.0 points and 10.0 rebounds throughout.

That small sample size would lead to the Jazz extending a second 10-day contract to Bamba for a chance to get a further look of what he brought to the table, and perhaps sign him on for a contract that extended to the rest of the season.

Jazz Release Mo Bamba, Sign Bez Mbeng

The 27-year-old was a former sixth-overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft that entered to bring some extended depth to the Jazz's frontcourt rotation, one that had seen multiple injuries with recent absences to Jusuf Nurkic, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen to take a good chunk of size out of Utah's lineup.

Instead of continuing to run with Bamba, though Utah has decided to pivot. Bamba may now attempt to return to the Jazz's G League team with the Salt Lake City Stars, where he was before signing to the Jazz’s main roster, or could find another opportunity elsewhere if a team is interested in his services.

Bamba had signed to the Toronto Raptors earlier this season on another 10-day contract, but similarly to his time with the Jazz, would only play in two games before his deal wouldn't be extended, and he would subsequently be let go.

Mar 4, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Utah Jazz center Mo Bamba (11) dunks against the Philadelphia 76ers in the third quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

In place of Bamba's spot on the roster, the Jazz have reportedly agreed to a 10-day deal with former Yale standout, Bez Mbeng.

The 22-year-old, 6-foot-4 guard will get a chance to gain some traction on the Jazz's regular roster after having spent a good chunk of this season in the G League with the Miami Heat's affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

In his 11 games in the G League, Mbeng has averaged 8.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game in just over an average of 23 minutes per night.

Especially now that Keyonte George is slated to miss multiple weeks with his recent hamstring injury, that could open the door for Mbeng to get some minutes in the Jazz's backcourt, which will need some depth to replace the roster's leader in total points throughout this season.