Bo Cruz still looking for a team: Who will sign Juancho Hernangomez?
After being released by the Utah Jazz, and not being picked up off waivers, Juancho Hernangómez is on the market and looking for a buyer
After a difficult season which saw Juancho traded four times, the Spanish power forward is looking at where his American road trip will take him to next. At the end of June, the Jazz waived him, saving themselves $6.6 million in the process, and so far, there are very few takers.
Here are a few likely landing spots around the NBA for the big man from Madrid.
Sacramento Kings
With the west coast team trying to rebuild and shake off their torpor that they have struggled under for most of the 21st century, things look as if they could be a good fit for a solid power forward. It would likely take the intervention of assistant coach Jordi Fernández to bring Juancho into the fold, but with bringing in Mike Brown, it looks like they may be open to discussion, but the minimum contract of around $2.4 million would be their ceiling.
Atlanta Hawks
With most of Atlanta’s failings coming as a result of their lack of depth in their bench. With them unable to respond when Kevin Knox turned out to be a bust for them, they may be looking for a backup like Juancho to fill the gap. With the departure of Danilo Gallinari, Juancho could be just the sort of economical step that they are looking for.
Utah Jazz
The least likely, but still possible, scenario is that Utah will negotiate a lower figure for Juancho’s return. It is undeniable that he was productive for them, although not at the level that they felt warranted his salary, and they may treat this as an opportunity to redress what they felt was a negative equity situation. He shot 64% from the field, with 43.8% three-pointers made, which makes him valuable as a player, just not $6.6 million worth.