"In contract discussions with the Jazz, Kessler sought upwards of $120 million in total compensation for a long-term contract extension, sources told , but Utah was unwilling to commit to that price range," Afseth wrote. "There was a clear gap in talks between Kessler and Utah,' one source said."

In the latest Stein Line, Marc Stein reiterated his latest on the Lauri Markkanen situation. A Thursday night update because NBA Trade Season is closing in? A must. The latest in full with Dec. 15 fast approaching: https://t.co/FqCwodAFUd 📷: @chicagobulls pic.twitter.com/XkkQcsVxAw

After dropping their first two games of Group Play, the Utah Jazz will host the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder Friday night. The matchup will represent Utah’s third NBA Cup game, while it will be Oklahoma City’s second of four Group Play contests.

The Utah Jazz are one of the few teams around the NBA that have some immense cap flexibility heading into this year's trade deadline, and there might be an opportunity for them to use it to their advantage.

Many NBA teams are convinced that the Utah Jazz want to keep Lauri Markkanen instead of trading him, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line. “Difficult

The New York Knicks jumped on the Utah Jazz with a 23-0 lead Friday night, the largest game-opening run in the NBA since the league began keeping detailed play-by-play for all four quarters.

Thanks in a large part due to a dominating performance on the boards, the Aggies (9-1) ended Illinois State’s seven-game win streak in the second game of the Salt Lake Slam. Utah Valley defeated UC Santa Barbara 68-53 Saturday afternoon in the opening game of the event.

Utah Jazz head into their clash with the Memphis Grizzlies with key availability questions shaping the matchup and rotation outlook.

The Jazz enter Friday’s game fresh after the holiday, with Utah’s last game taking place Monday night against the Golden State Warriors. A hot shooting start in the opening quarter gave way to struggles during the middle portion of the game, and Stephen Curry led a furious Warriors run in the second quarter to gain control of the game.