SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert will have some backup next season, according to reports.
The Jazz trading away Derrick Favors as an apparent "salary dump" left fans wondering who would fill in when Gobert, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year and two-time All-Star, needs some rest.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski Tuesday night, Utah has agreed to a deal with free-agent center Hassan Whiteside.
Free agent C Hassan Whiteside has agreed to a deal with the Utah Jazz, @excelbasketball agent Sean Kennedy tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 4, 2021
The deal has not been officially confirmed, and no further details on what it includes were given.
Whiteside played for the Sacramento Kings in the most recent season.
He was drafted by the Kings in 2010, then spent a few years between the G-League and overseas professional leagues before returning to the NBA. He played for the Miami Heat from 2014-19, the Portland Trail Blazers in 2019-20, then signed a one-year deal with Sacramento ahead of the 2020-21 season.
Whiteside was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2016. He led the league in blocks in the 2015-16 and 2019-20 seasons, as the most rebounds in 2016-17.
The 32-year-old played in 36 games last season, only starting in four. He averaged 15 minutes, eight points, six rebounds and 1.3 blocks.
Wojnarowski, ESPN's "Senior NBA Insider," added that Whiteside "remains a force in the paint."
In the past two days, Utah has also reportedly signed Rudy Gay, a former San Antonio Spurs forward, and locked in first-time All-Star guard Mike Conley for another three years.
