Former Miami Heat Center Finds New Home Out West

A preseason foot injury kept him out of the lineup until March of this year, and by then, the 7-foot center was a forgotten man in the Miami Heat's rotation. Now, as a free agent, Omer Yurtseven has found a new home with the Utah Jazz.

Free agent Omer Yurtseven has agreed on a two-year deal with the Utah Jazz, agent Keith Glass tells ESPN. The starting salary in the first year is $2.8M.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 17, 2023

It's a two-year deal for Yurtseven with a partially guaranteed salary for the 2023-24 season that can top out at $2.8M. The deal is non-guaranteed for the 2024-25 season.

Welcome to Utah, @omeryurtseven77 💛#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/Zo4SSEp7Js
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) July 17, 2023

Out of Turkey, the beefy big man went undrafted out of Georgetown in 2020, and had a nice rookie year in Miami in 2021-22, playing 56 games and even starting in a dozen of them, averaging 5.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in only 12 minutes per contest. That's 15 points and 15 rebounds on a per-36-minute basis.

He'll get a new lease on NBA life with the Jazz in his third season, slotting into their center rotation behind Walker Kessler and Kelly Olynyk.

Photo: Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports