The Suns did not extend a qualifying offer to Azubuike on Tuesday, making him an unrestricted free agent, Sam Amico of Hoops Wire reports.
The No. 27 overall pick by the Jazz during the 2020 NBA Draft, Azubuike will be looking for a new home after stints in Utah and Phoenix. The 24-year-old center holds career regular-season averages of 3.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 84 total games.
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Suns' Udoka Azubuike: Will play Thursday
Rotowire
Azubuike (illness) will be available to play in Thursday's game against the Lakers.
Azubuike was unavailable for Monday's game against the Clippers, but he's healthy again and will be an emergency frontcourt option. He's not typically part of the rotation.
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Suns' Udoka Azubuike: Ruled out Monday
Rotowire
Azubuike (illness) is inactive Monday against the Clippers, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports.
Azubuike will miss Monday's contest due to an undisclosed illness, but he's coming off back-to-back DNP-CDs regardless. He'll now have two full days to heal prior to facing the Lakers on Thursday.
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Suns' Udoka Azubuike: Unlikely to play Monday
Rotowire
Azubuike is doubtful for Monday's game against the Clippers due to an illness.
Azubuike hasn't been part of the Suns' rotation this year, but he's unlikely to be able to suit up Monday. His status shouldn't impact much against the Clippers.
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Suns' Udoka Azubuike: Records double-double in loss
Rotowire
Azubuike totaled 11 points (5-5 FG, 1-2 FT), 11 rebounds, two assists and one block over 22 minutes during Friday's 120-105 loss to the Kings.
Azubuike made the most of his minutes in the blowout loss, not missing any of his attempts from the field and recording a double-double. Fantasy managers should not lose perspective regarding his role, however, as he's expected to maintain an end-of-bench role for Phoenix, essentially making him a non-factor across all fantasy formats unless his role changes dramatically.
Azubuike and the Suns have agreed on a two-way contract for the 2023 season, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Azubuike fills the Suns' second two-way slot, joining Saben Lee as a two-way player for the 2023-24 season. Azubuike appeared in 36 games with the Jazz last season, playing 10.0 minutes per game and logging 3.5 points and 3.3 rebounds on 81.9 percent shooting from the field and 35.0 percent shooting from the charity stripe. He'll likely have a tougher time finding NBA minutes on a star-studded Suns roster that already has Deandre Ayton, Drew Eubanks and Chimezie Metu in the frontcourt.
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Jazz's Udoka Azubuike: Gets starting nod
Rotowire
Azubuike is in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game versus the Lakers, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Azubuike will replace Walker Kessler (concussion) in the starting five Tuesday. Azubuike has averaged 5.6 points and 5.2 rebounds in 16.6 minutes across his last five outings, so he could see a significant increase in production in Kessler's absence.
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Jazz's Udoka Azubuike: Falls outside rotation
Rotowire
Azubuike (coach's decision) went unused off the bench in Monday's 117-103 loss to the Suns.
After logging double-digit minutes off the bench behind starting center Walker Kessler in each of the past four games, Azubuike fell out of the rotation entirely Monday. Damian Jones instead stepped in as Kessler's backup but was a team-worst minus-21 during his time on the court. Given that Jones didn't provide the sort of lift for the second unit that head coach Will Hardy was probably expecting, it's possible Azubuike reclaims a rotation spot Wednesday at San Antonio.
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Jazz's Udoka Azubuike: Nearly double-doubles
Rotowire
Azubuike logged nine points (4-7 FG, 1-4 FT), nine rebounds, two blocks and one steal across 21 minutes during Friday's 144-116 loss to the Bucks.
Walker Kessler was in foul trouble, and with the score getting out of hand, the Jazz turned to Azubuike. Damian Jones also saw 17 minutes, but it seems like Azubuike has gained the edge for the backup center role in recent games. If he holds onto the job, he can be a nice source of rebounds, field-goal percentage and defensive stats in deeper fantasy formats.
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Jazz's Udoka Azubuike: Supplants Jones as backup center
Rotowire
Azubuike finished Monday's 128-120 win over the Kings with 13 points (6-6 FG, 1-2 FT), eight rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in 18 minutes off the bench.
Despite being outside of the rotation in each of the Jazz's first seven games of March and not even seeing the court in garbage time in any of those contests, Azubuike surprisingly served as the top backup Monday to starting center Walker Kessler while Damian Jones (coach's decision) didn't leave the bench. Azubuike seemed to make the most of the opportunity, as he converted all of his shot attempts in the paint while offering contributions on the defensive end. He could continue to provide meaningful returns in the field-goal percentage and blocks categories if he retains the backup role over Jones, but Azubuike is still only a name to monitor in deeper leagues so long as Kessler is available.
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Jazz's Udoka Azubuike: Logs one rebound in loss
Rotowire
Azubuike contributed one rebound over four minutes during Wednesday's 117-111 loss to the Grizzlies.
Azubuike had played double-digit minutes in his last four appearances, and he tallied a season-high nine boards during Monday's win over the Pacers. However, he had a minimal role during Utah's final game before the All-Star break. The 23-year-old has had inconsistent playing time off the bench for most of the season, and he faces more competition for frontcourt minutes now that Juan Toscano-Anderson and Damian Jones are available to play for their new team.
Azubuike (COVID-19) isn't on the injury report for Saturday's game versus Philadelphia, Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Azubuike is available Saturday after missing the previous two games while in COVID protocols. However, he hasn't played since Dec. 22, so he is unlikely to affect Utah's rotation.
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Jazz's Udoka Azubuike: Remains out Friday
Rotowire
Azubuike (COVID-19 protocols) will not play in Friday's game against the Magic.
Azubuike will miss a second consecutive contest, but his absence should not have a major impact on Utah's rotation. His next chance to play comes Saturday against the 76ers.
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Jazz's Udoka Azubuike: Lands in COVID-19 protocols
Rotowire
Azubuike has been ruled out for Tuesday's matchup against the Cavaliers due to COVID-19 protocols, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Azubuike will miss at least one game, but there's a decent chance he could be sidelined for longer. However, his absence isn't expected impact Utah's rotation, as the backup big man hasn't appeared in a game since Dec. 22.
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Jazz's Udoka Azubuike: Set for free agency next summer
Rotowire
The Jazz informed Azubuike on Sunday that the team won't exercise his $3.92 million team option for 2023-24, Tony Jones of The Athletic reports.
Azubuike is thus set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer following his third NBA season. The No. 27 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Azubuike has played in just 33 career regular-season games, with the big man missing extensive time along the way due to injuries.
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