alt=Ryan McDonaldAs the NBA regular season winds down, there has been talk about how the Utah Jazz might fill their last roster spot.
Will it go to Trent Forrest, who has far outplayed his two-way contract but needs to be on a standard contract to be eligible for the playoffs and has been dealing with injury (the latest being an ankle injury he suffered Wednesday night)?
Maybe Greg Monroe, who has been solid during a 10-day contract and would bring a veteran presence to the postseason?
Someone else?
Early Thursday morning, the Monroe question was answered in the negative, as The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Monroe will sign for the rest of the season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who still have a shot at the Western Conference’s 6 seed and avoiding the play-in tournament but are guaranteed at least the 7 seed.
The Jazz signed the 31-year-old Monroe on March 28 as they were dealing with injuries to both of their backup centers, Hassan Whiteside and Udoka Azubuike (Whiteside has returned, while Azubuike is out for the rest of the season).
Monroe wound up playing in three of the Jazz’s five games while he was under contract, and he averaged exactly 4 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist in exactly 9 minutes per appearance.
The move for Monroe marks a return to Minnesota, where he had a 10-day contract earlier this season and appeared in three games, averaging exactly 21 minutes per contest.
And it leaves the Jazz with one less option of how they’ll fill their last roster spot for the playoffs should they decide to do so.