Utah Jazz forward Royce O’Neale has agreed to a four-year, $36 million contract extension, agents Ty Sullivan and Steven Heumann of CAA Sports told ESPN.
O’Neale plans to sign the deal on Sunday, the agents said.
Although he could’ve become a restricted free agent this summer, O’Neale and his reps negotiated a long-term deal that keeps him with the franchise that signed him out of Europe in 2017.
O’Neale, 26, has proven himself to be an essential element to the Jazz’s elite NBA defense and elevation into the fourth seed in the Western Conference. In his third NBA season, O’Neale has become a full-time starter for the Jazz and is averaging career highs in minutes (30), points (6.2), rebounds (5.0) and assists (2.5). He’s become a quintessential 3-and-D specialist, guarding elite opposing players and shooting 44.3 percent on three-pointers this season.
O’Neale is one more Utah organizational success story of evaluation and player development. After going undrafted out of Baylor, O’Neale played two seasons overseas before signing with the Jazz.