This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The Utah Jazz waived point guard Marcus Paige, forward Quincy Ford and center Eric Dawson on Thursday, as the team's front office made the first cuts of training camp.

The Jazz roster now stands at 17 players and will have to be reduced to 15 before the start of the regular season.

Paige, for his part, knew this day would likely come.

When he signed a training camp deal with the Utah Jazz, the rookie point guard out of North Carolina knew his chances of making the team were slim. The Jazz already had four point guards under contract and Paige's deal as a second-round pick was not guaranteed.

The young guard had been taking the longview the whole time.

"The organization has invested in me," Paige said at the start of training camp. "So I know it's maybe not year one I get a legitimate shot, but I can keep working on my game and improving … and have a better shot down the road."

Dawson and Ford scored two points apiece Wednesday night against the Suns in their only appearances of the preseason. Paige averaged 5.5 points and 1.5 assists in his two appearances.

Paige, Ford and Dawson will become free agents, eligible to sign with another team. But the Jazz will retain D-League rights and it's likely, especially in the case of Paige and Ford, that they will suit up for the Salt Lake City Stars once their season begins.

— Aaron Falk

Twitter: @AaronFalk