Report: Jazz interested in Wizards' Garrett Temple
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The Utah Jazz aren't sitting on their hands in the wake of Dante Exum's torn ACL diagnosis.
With their projected starting point guard set to miss a major chunk of time - if not the entire 2015-16 season - the Jazz are in the market for some much-needed backcourt help, and have their eye on Washington Wizards journeyman combo-guard Garrett Temple, according to Jody Genessy of the Deseret News.
Temple isn't the sexiest option, but this late in the game, with the free-agent river fished out and training camp rosters taking shape, the Jazz are being realistic.
Temple filled in capably in spurts for the injured Bradley Beal last season, and the Wizards went 10-8 with him as a starter. At 6-foot-6, he replicates Exum's size in the backcourt, and is a solid defensive option at either backcourt position, making him a nice prospective platoon mate for the undersized Trey Burke.
In 229 career games split between six NBA teams, Temple has averaged 3.5 points and 1.3 assists, shooting 39 percent from the field and 32.5 percent from deep.
As Genessy points out, he also has a relationship with Jazz head coach Quin Snyder, dating back to Temple's 16-game stint with the San Antonio Spurs over the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons, when Snyder was a Spurs assistant.