The Utah Jazz have agreed to a one-year, $3.3 million deal with veteran guard Patty Mills, who’s set to return for a 16th NBA season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The contract is fully guaranteed for the 2024-25 season.
Patty Mills will play under Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy, who was an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs
Mills, 36, will now play under Jazz head coach Will Hardy, who was an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs from 2015 to 2021 while Mills was with the team.
During that span, Mills averaged 10 points, 1.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 23.1 minutes in 459 games (50 starts). He also shot 42.4% from the field, 38.6% from beyond the arc, and 86.3% at the free throw line.
In 66 games (one start) with San Antonio in the 2019-20 season, he averaged a career-high 11.6 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 22.5 minutes per contest while shooting 43.1% from the floor, 38.2% from 3-point range, and 86.6% at the foul line.
Free agent guard Patty Mills has agreed on a one-year, $3.3 million deal with the Utah Jazz, sources tell ESPN. Mills will reunite with coach Will Hardy for his 16th NBA season on a fully guaranteed deal. pic.twitter.com/n479XigF6s
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 14, 2024
Mills especially balled out during the 2014 NBA Finals, when he scored a combined 31 points in the last two games and helped the Spurs defeat LeBron James and the Miami Heat with 3-point daggers.
In the 2013-14 regular season, the 6-foot-2 guard ranked seventh in 3-point percentage (42.5%), 10th in effective field goal percentage (56.5%), and 20th in offensive box plus/minus (2.9).
Mills posted his worst numbers since his rookie year last season
Although Mills is a scoring threat from the perimeter, his NBA role has diminished in recent years. His last productive season was back in the 2021-22 season with the Brooklyn Nets, when he averaged 11.4 points, 1.9 boards, and 2.3 assists per contest.
However, he averaged just 6.2 points per game for Brooklyn the following season. Last season was his worst campaign since his rookie year with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2009-10, as he averaged only 4.0 points per game in 40 appearances split between the Atlanta Hawks and Heat.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics while representing Australia, Mills proved that he can still contribute in the backcourt. He was second on the team in scoring with 16.5 points per game. The Saint Mary’s product also made 2.3 3-pointers per game and shot 40.9% from deep.
In a 95-90 overtime loss to eventual bronze medalist Serbia in the quarterfinals, Mills led all scorers with 26 points on 11-of-21 (52.4%) shooting in 35 minutes of action. For comparison, Nikola Jokic led Serbia with 21 points in 39 minutes played in that matchup.
