The Utah Jazz waived center Mo Bamba on Friday, clearing a roster spot just ahead of their 2025-26 regular season opener, which is scheduled for next Wednesday at home versus the Los Angeles Clippers.
Senior NBA insider Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported on X: “The Utah Jazz waived center Mo Bamba. The former sixth overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft has averaged 6.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in seven NBA seasons combined with the Magic, 76ers, Clippers, Lakers, and Pelicans.”
Bamba, 27, split the 2024-25 season between the Clippers (28 games) and the Pelicans (4 games). He averaged 4.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and one block per game in 12.9 minutes, with shooting splits of 46.4% from the field and 27.8% from three.
Jazz waive Mo Bamba as team finalizes frontcourt ahead of 2025-26 season opener
Utah acquired Bamba midseason in a trade that shipped Patty Mills and Drew Eubanks to Los Angeles. The Jazz released him the following day, after which he signed a 10-day contract with New Orleans. He later returned to Utah on an undisclosed deal prior to training camp.
In his only preseason appearance, Bamba scored eight points with three rebounds, two assists and one block in nine minutes. He shot 1-for-3 from the field and 5-for-6 from the free throw line, finishing with a plus/minus of +4.
The Jazz now head into the season relying on Walker Kessler and newly acquired veteran Jusuf Nurkic to anchor the frontcourt.
Nurkic arrived in Utah via a trade that sent Collin Sexton to Charlotte.
Utah also carries Kyle Filipowski, Oscar Tshiebwe (on a two-way deal), and Kevin Love as additional frontcourt depth.
With Bamba waived, the Jazz enter the regular season roster limit ready to deploy a mix of youth and veteran presence inside, and Bamba’s departure underscores their move toward depth and flexibility in rotation decisions.
