One Overlooked Winner of the Utah Jazz’s Cody Williams Trade

The Utah Jazz made the late-offseason decision to ship out their 2024 lottery pick, Cody Williams, along with John Konchar, to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for veteran wing Josh Green.

It's a trade that gets this Jazz roster a bit more prepared for the future ahead. Utah effectively makes a decision on their lottery pick from two years ago ahead of his third season as a pro, and brings on an expiring deal for 2026-27. They also clear a roster spot that they didn't have before in a two-for-one.

However, within the Jazz's decision to ship out Williams, there was also one player on Utah's roster who wound up benefiting from the move–– simply because it gives them more security to be on the team once opening night hits later next month.

And that's none other than Mo Bamba, who was signed to a deal with the Jazz as one of their final roster additions on a two-year deal earlier this offseason.

How the Jazz's Cody Williams Trade Benefits Mo Bamba

When the Jazz signed Bamba earlier this summer, there was one key aspect that stood out about the deal: while Utah inked him to a two-year contract in full, it wasn't a deal that was fully guaranteed just yet.

If Utah wanted to cut ties with Bamba before opening night, the Jazz could do so and only incur a $200,000 dead cap hit due to the signing bonus that was paid out upon his signing.

And that was notable because of the Jazz's roster carrying 15 players with Bamba onboard. Let's say that Utah wanted to add another player to the team between now and opening night. They could do so and make Bamba the easy candidate to cut to provide flexibility to sign said player to the roster.

Mar 4, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy reacts with center Mo Bamba (11) and forward Brice Sensabaugh (28) against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Now, the Jazz, since they've signed Bamba onto the roster, have shown no indications that cutting him before the season is an outcome they have interest in. That's simply just an option the front office has at their disposal.

But after the Jazz have traded Williams and Konchar for just one player in return in Green, and have a roster spot freed up before opening night, that inevitably offers a whole lot more security to someone like Bamba.

Not only does Bamba become the Jazz's final 14th player on the roster to fulfill the NBA's 14-man roster limit heading into the regular season, yet it also ensures that there's no immediate competition in the building that's going to claim his roster spot, even if Utah signs another player.

That means, for a player who was once on the roster bubble and wasn't exactly sure if he'd make the day-one cut, he's now looking at a pretty surefire bet that he'll be onboard for the Jazz's season opener on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies.

If Bamba is on the roster come opening night, he'll be due $500,000 from the Jazz. In the event he's on the roster on January 10th, he'll be paid out the full amount of his $3.5 million deal for this season. So for Utah's veteran center, things can only continue to trend up from here.

Be sure to follow Utah Jazz On SI on X to stay up to date for daily Utah Jazz news, rumors and analysis!

Add us as a preferred source on Google