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SALT LAKE CITY The Huntsman Center was a sleeping giant on Saturday afternoon as Cam Boozer and the Memphis Grizzlies crushed the Oklahoma City Thunder.
As that game concluded, empty seats began to fill and anticipation grew in the Utes home arena.
That anticipation culminated in an explosion of cheers as the Utah Jazz took the court, led by none other than rookie guard Darryn Peterson.
Darryn Peterson Shows Out In Salt Lake City Summer League Debut Petersons first game with Utah draped across his chest was all that fans and the front office couldve hoped for, and then some.
The first possession of the game for the Jazz ended with a layup from Peterson, and the points seemingly never stopped rolling in.
The rookie was the teams leading scorer at the end of each quarter.
The positive signs werent only when he had the ball in his hands, though.
He finished with two blocks, but his defensive impact extended far past the box score.
He often matched up with Atlanta guard Kingston Flemings, who finished the night shooting 4/16 from the field.
Darryn Peterson and Cody Williams each with a big block early.
Good defensive activity from both.
Chandler Holt (@CHoltSports) July 4, 2026 What was maybe most impressive was his efforts in the fourth quarter and in overtime.
He scored 10 points in his last 8:35 on the court, and willed the Jazz to a win with some big plays late.
Peterson finished with 28 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two blocks.
He shot 52 percent from the floor and 57 percent from three.
The only real blemish on his performance was eight turnovers.
However, many of those are shared fault, if not totally on teammates for dropping well-placed passes.
Peterson is the first Jazzman since Donovan Mitchell to score 20+ points in his SLC Summer League debut, eclipsing Mitchells 23-point mark from the 2017 event.
Ace Bailey, Cody Williams Shine Against Atlanta Hawks The performances of Cody Williams and Ace Bailey almost went under the radar as a result of the hype built around Peterson.
But they still came to play.
That trio of Jazz players were likely the three best players on either side in Saturdays contest.
Bailey only played 20 minutes, but still finished with 10 points, six rebounds and two stocks.
The sophomore forward was ruled out for the rest of the game early in the second half with back spasms.
Williams played the most minutes on the team at 34 and finished with 17 points, five rebounds, one assist, and three stocks.
Both of the forwards looked to have added noticeable weight so far in the offseason and used it to their advantage to generate easy looks.
Williams specifically threw down a pair of poster dunks that caused fans in the arena to jump to their feet.
Easily the dunk of the day.pic.twitter.com/vVxNEMKMQQ https://t.co/7DirAGYUz8 Chandler Holt (@CHoltSports) July 4, 2026 About Darryn Peterson Peterson, born in Northeast Ohio, quickly rose through the ranks as one of the best basketball prospects in the country.
He played prep basketball at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy in his home state before moving to West Virginia and then California for his junior and senior years.
On November 1, 2024, Peterson made his commitment to the University of Kansas.
In his lone year with the Jayhawks, Peterson averaged 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists on 43.8/38.2/82.6 shooting splits.
Austin Ainge, Utah Jazz unfazed by Darryn Peterson injury history In 2026, the Utah Jazz selected Peterson with the No.
2 overall pick, tied for the highest selection in the franchises history.
Salt Lake City Summer League History The annual showcase of both rookies and young talent in the NBA is returning to Utah for the 11th time.
The modern iteration of the event debuted in 2015 with the Rocky Mountain Revue moniker, a nod to the pro-am roots of a similar event that was held in the late 1980s, 1990s, and into the 2000s.
The event was rebranded to the Utah Jazz Summer League in 2017, and changed once again in 2019 to the Salt Lake City Summer League.
Memphis has competed in the event for seven straight years.
2026 will make it eight in a row.
OKC will reach its fifth year in a row this summer.
The list of notable names to hoop in Utah in early July is a long one.
Aside from the obvious Jazz stars over the last decade, Jaren Jackson Jr., Ben Simmons, Trae Young, Jayson Tatum, Chet Holmgren, and more have all competed in the SLC Summer League.
Chandler Holt is the Utah Jazz insider for KSLSports.com and co-host of the Jazz Notes podcast.
Follow Chandler on X for Jazz and NBA updates.
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MONTICELLO, Utah (KUTV) The second-largest wildfire in the nation has burned more than 87,500 acres and destroyed five structures in southeastern Utah.
The Babylon Fire reached a total of 87,554 acres in San Juan County, officials with the U.S.
Forest Service said in a Saturday morning update.
More resources arrived in the area, with 730 firefighters now working to control the wildfire, which remains at 0% containment.
The cause of the fire, which ignited on June 26, has not yet been determined.
MORE | Utah Wildfires: Utah has the two largest wildfires in the nation, with the Babylon Fire about 9,000 acres smaller than the Cottonwood Fire.
The Cottonwood Fire has burned 94,417 acres in Beaver and Piute Counties and is 25% contained.
While the fires both saw little growth overnight, officials said hot, dry weekend temperatures could potentially lead to increased fire activity.
They said a Fire and Fuels Advisory has been issued for the state of Utah.
This extreme dryness, combined with an unstable atmosphere, will naturally increase the potential for the fire to flare up and create large smoke columns, officials said.
___ According to Shams Charania, the Utah Jazz signed Josh Okogie to a 2-year $12M deal.
Okogie shot 38.5% from three last season in Houston, as Charania mentions, and fills a need for the Jazz, who are looking for defensive help on the perimeter.
Its a clear sign that Utah is in the business now of building its roster to compete next season for a playoff spot.
After the Walker Kessler trade, the starting lineup will likely be Keyonte George, Darryn Peterson, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Jusuf Nurkic.
But Utah needs depth and defense.
With Okogie on the roster, the team gains a veteran presence and a defense-first player who can also shoot.
Its likely to be a trend for Utah going forward that they bring on players with size who defend but are also capable shooters and scorers on offense.
At this point, Utah is not in the business of taking on project players but is looking to fill needs on its roster.
Okogie does just that.
At this point, the most likely potential signings, or trade, could be more center depth after the Kessler trade, and possibly another ball-handling guard.
Its not clear if Utah is done with the roster but this signing will add nice depth.
The Utah Jazz are in the market to add a new center to their roster following their decision to ship out Walker Kessler to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Theyve already made a few moves to bolster their five spot in the first few days of free agency.
Utah signed former Lakers big man Jaxson Hayes to a two-year deal, and re-signed a veteran of their own in Jusuf Nurkic that gives them at least some depth to lean on.
But their work still might not be done trying to replace their defensive anchor in the middle.
Perhaps they could bring in another name off of free agencyor just maybe, they could look towards the trade market to address their hole at center, where there also might be a few intriguing veterans to target and fill their biggest need at the moment.
With that in mind, lets look into three potential trade scenarios that the Jazz could consider to do just that: Utah Provides Orlando With Bench Scoring A simple one-for-one swap of guys on expiring deals; this could be an easy way for the Jazz to add another depth big man in the form of Bitadze, while sending Sensabaugh to a team that desperately needs another layer of shooting and scoring upside.
Bitadze has been a reliable rotational big since arriving in Orlando in 2023, posting an average of 6.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks a night in around 17 minutes a night.
Its easy to imagine him filling into a similar, defensive-focused role within Utahs second unit.
Considering the Magic now have Wendell Carter Jr., newly-signed Nikola Vucevic, and Bitadze on top of it, it feels like one of the existing pieces from this frontcourt could be on the move.
It sets up a perfect opportunity for the Jazz to strike and get ahead of Sensabaughs extension situation.
Utah Adds a New Starting Center Via Dallas The most appealing center who could be on the block within this list: Daniel Gafford has been someone already placed into various trade rumors during the past few weeks of this offseason.
Thats great news for the Jazz, who make perfect sense as a suitor to host him as a starting center for next season.
Gaffords most recent time in Dallas has been the best stretch of his career in terms of statistics: hes logged averages of 11.0 points and 6.9 rebounds a night while shooting an impressive 70% from the field.
Hes not someone to expand his game much further than inside the arc, but as a lob threat and interior presence, theres a lot to work with.
Utah would have to give up a bit of a bigger package in this one compared to what someone like Bitadze might command from Orlando.
But Gaffords locked in under contract for multiple years, and a more capable threat on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.
So hes worth the investment.
Utah Lands More Future Assets From Denver A deal like this certainly wouldnt be groundbreaking by any means.
Someone of Zeke Nnajis caliber might even slot below Jaxson Hayes on the depth chart, and the returning draft picks for Utah tell you the type of asset he is on the trade market.
But the Nuggets are in a position to prioritize adding defense, shedding big men from their roster, and lessening their cap burden.
This deal does just that, and only requires them to relinquish their two seconds received in their draft trade down from last months draft to do so.
Maybe the Jazz can unlock something from Nnajis game this coming season as a reserve big manconsidering hes averaged less than four points per game in the last three yearsand if not, they get compensated with future draft picks to add him to their roster.
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