Skip to content

Report: Tibor Pleiss in Utah to talk NBA future with Jazz

REUTERS/Ivan Milutinovic

A major piece of the return for Enes Kanter could soon be the replacement for Enes Kanter.

When the Utah Jazz dealt their score-first big man to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the trade deadline, the draft rights to 7-foot-2 German center Tibor Pleiss were part of the deal. While Pleiss isn't a household name, he was enough - along with a future protected first-round pick and a second-round pick - to deal away a recent No. 3 overall pick.

The return on the deal may come sooner than originally anticipated, as Pleiss is in Utah this week to discuss his NBA future, according to Jody Genessy of the Deseret News.

The No. 31 overall selection in 2010, the 25-year-old Pleiss spent the past season with Barcelona of the Spanish ACB league, the second-best league in the world. Alongside No. 5 pick Mario Hezonja, Pleiss helped lead Barcelona to the ACB Finals, averaging 5.4 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 62.4 percent for the season.

Those numbers may seem underwhelming, but at 7-foot-2 with decent range on his jumper, Pleiss is an intriguing option as the team's fifth big man. It potentially helps matters that Jazz assistant Alex Jensen will help coach the German national team at EuroBasket 2015 this summer, affording him the chance to work closely with Pleiss ahead of the season.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox