Utah Jazz keep getting bigger, sign 7-footer Withey

Small-ball is en vogue, but the Utah Jazz keep getting bigger.

The team on Monday signed 7-foot free agent center Jeff Withey to a two-year, partially guaranteed contract. The deal brings Utah's training camp roster to 19 players, with summer league standout J.J. O'Brien expected to be the 20th player in the mix this fall.

The 25-year-old Withey played in 95 games with New Orleans during his first two years in the NBA and found himself buried deep on the Pelicans' depth chart last season behind Anthony Davis, Omer Asik and Alexis Ajinca. Nevertheless, the 7-footer has a chance to make the roster in Utah as a sixth big man and shot-blocking specialist and could be a pleasantly surprising late-summer pickup for the Jazz.

Withey will first have to fight for his roster spot in Utah. His deal, first reported by Yahoo! Sports, includes a team option for the second season. And the Jazz have 13 players with guaranteed deals already on the roster.

Withey isn't a great offensive weapon, but he can be a defensive specialist. He has a 7-foot-3 wingspan and blocks 2.6 shots per 40 minutes. His senior year at Kansas he averaged nearly 5 blocks per game.

Utah's frontcourt is basically set, with Derrick Favors, Rudy Gobert, Trevor Booker, Tibor Pleiss and Trey Lyles likely to receive a majority of the minutes at power forward and center. So whether Withey sticks with the Jazz will likely come down to competition during training camp with forwards Jack Cooley and Grant Jerrett. Cooley's contract is not guaranteed. Jerrett, who separated his shoulder during summer league play, has a guaranteed contract but the Jazz have shown a willingness in each of the past two seasons to waive players with smaller guaranteed deals (specifically guards Carrick Felix and Ian Clark).

If the Jazz opt to keep six big men on the final roster, Withey will have a chance to win a spot.