Ex-Warriors champion expected to become available on buyout market

A recent NBA champion may be up for grabs in the coming days.

Tony Jones of The Athletic reports this week that the Utah Jazz have granted veteran forward Otto Porter Jr. permission to return home as the team gets ready for the second half of the season. Though Porter is healthy and ready to play, the Jazz are allowing Porter to evaluate his options. One such option is accepting a contract buyout from the Jazz, which would free up Porter to sign with another NBA team.

Porter, 30, is a former No. 3 overall pick who was part of the Golden State Warriors 2022 NBA championship team. He signed with the Toronto Raptors after that title run, and the Raptors just sent him to the Jazz at this year’s trade deadline as part of their move for Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji.

Though a rebuilding Utah team has little need for Porter, he still has a lot to offer a contender. Porter can alternate between both forward positions at 6-foot-8 and provides strong defense along with his 39.7 percent career three-point shooting.

Jones notes that Porter will have to sign with a new team by March 1 to be eligible for the playoffs. But it looks like Porter is proceeding down that train track, and he might even be an option for a former team that is trying to add to their frontcourt.