CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Charlotte Hornets acquired guard Collin Sexton from the Utah Jazz for center Jusuf Nurkic and a future second-round draft pick, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Sunday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been made official by the NBA. Sexton, a seven-year NBA veteran, played in 63 games last season for the Jazz, averaging 18.4 points and 4.2 assists per game. His best NBA season came in 2020-21 when he averaged 24.3 points and 4.4 assists for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Jazz drafted Walter Clayton in the first round and also have Isaiah Collier and Keyonte George in the backcourt, making Sexton expendable. Nurkic was acquired in a trade with the Suns last year, so this will mark his return to Utah. He played in 26 games and averaged 9.2 points for Charlotte. The move leaves the Hornets particularly thin at center. They traded away center Mark Williams on the first night of the NBA draft and also dealt away Nick Richards last year. That potentially leaves 6-foot-9 Moussa Diabate as the team’s starting center, although the team did draft 7-footer Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah was not believed to be one of Ace Bailey’s preferred destinations to start his NBA career. Still, Bailey indicated Sunday that he never thought about holding out or forcing a trade after the Jazz drafted him No. 5 overall. Bailey reported to Utah after he was criticized for his approach to the pre-draft process, during which he refused to work out for teams interested in him. When asked during his introductory news conference if he considered not coming to Salt Lake City, he only expressed enthusiasm for being with the Jazz. “Just blessed to be in the position I am,” Bailey said. Before the draft, Bailey canceled a scheduled workout with Philadelphia and declined invitations from Charlotte and Utah to work out for them. That didn’t stop the Jazz from using their lottery pick on him anyway. Utah is betting the 18-year-old will unlock his potential and blossom into a prolific scorer. Utah Jazz drafted players, left to right, Ace Bailey, Walter Clayton Jr., John Tonje, and Austin Ainge, President of Basketball Operations for the Utah Jazz, pose together during the Utah Jazz player introduction press conference Sunday, June 29, 2025, in Salt Lake