Jazz decline Isaiah Collier’s $4.99 million option and keep Ace Bailey, and the Bucks pick up Kel’el Ware and Kasparas Jakučionis as the deadline closes

The Utah Jazz have turned down the $4.99 million fourth-year option on Isaiah Collier for 2027-28 while picking up the $9.98 million third-year option on Ace Bailey, NBA insider Michael Scotto reported Monday. Scotto also reported that the Milwaukee Bucks will exercise both of their options, on Kel’el Ware ($7.14 million) and Kasparas Jakučionis ($4.02 million).

The Utah Jazz will decline their team option on Isaiah Collier worth $4.99 million for the 2027-28 season, sources told @hoopshype. Collier has averaged 9.9 points, 6.6 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in three seasons. He’ll be a coveted unrestricted free agent. pic.twitter.com/NDguwgdJVo
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) November 2, 2026

Those were the last four decisions still open before the league’s deadline at the end of Monday, Nov. 2. The deadline moved from Saturday, Oct. 31, because the usual date fell on a weekend.

Why the Collier call stands out

Collier, the 29th pick in 2024, was set to make less than $5 million in 2027-28. That is a small number for a 22-year-old point guard who has started 65 games in three seasons, and salary-cap reporter Keith Smith said he was “fairly surprised” by the move. Smith pointed out that Utah has its starting guards in place, but added that Collier’s deal “wasn’t that much for next year.”

2024-25: 71 games, 46 starts, 8.7 points and 6.3 assists in 25.9 minutes, shooting 42.2% from the field and 24.9% from three
2025-26: 59 games, 19 starts, 11.7 points and 7.2 assists in 25.7 minutes, shooting 49.5% from the field and 27.0% from three
2026-27: six games off the bench, 7.5 points and 5.7 assists in 18.5 minutes, 0 for 8 from three

The passing numbers are real. The problem is the shooting. Collier has made 69 of 277 threes in his career, 24.9%, and 69.6% of his free throws, and he has moved from the starting lineup to the bench as Will Hardy has used him as a second-unit pick-and-roll partner for Jaxson Hayes.

Shreyas Laddha, who covers the Jazz in Salt Lake City, reported that Collier took the news well and that the team will keep evaluating him through the rest of his third season.

What it means for Collier

His 2026-27 salary, already guaranteed, does not change. He stays with the Jazz unless he is traded.
Next summer he becomes an unrestricted free agent instead of playing a fourth year on his rookie deal.
Whichever team has him at the end of this season cannot offer him a starting salary above the $4.99 million option amount. Other teams in free agency will not face that limit.
He is no longer eligible for a rookie-scale extension.

Bailey’s option was the easy one

Bailey, the No. 5 pick in 2025, averaged 13.8 points and 4.2 rebounds as a rookie, shooting 44.3% from the field and 34.4% from three in 72 games, 61 of them starts. With Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jusuf Nurkić out, he has started five of Utah’s six games this season and is averaging 13.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 30.8 minutes on 50.0% shooting.

Picking up the third-year option locks in his $9.98 million salary for 2027-28. The Jazz will make the same decision on his fourth-year option next fall.

Milwaukee keeps both pieces from the Giannis trade

Ware and Jakučionis both came to Milwaukee from Miami in the July trade that sent Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to the Heat, and both have been regulars off the bench for Taylor Jenkins.

Ware, the 15th pick in 2024, is picking up a fourth-year option worth $7.14 million. The 7-footer averaged 11.1 points and 9.0 rebounds for the Heat last season and is at 13.0 points and 8.7 rebounds in 19.7 minutes through six games with the Bucks.
Jakučionis, the 20th pick in 2025, is picking up a third-year option worth $4.02 million. He made 42.3% of his threes as a Heat rookie and is averaging 8.3 points and 4.0 assists in 22.5 minutes this season.

Keeping both adds about $11.2 million to Milwaukee’s 2027-28 books for two rotation players still on rookie-scale salaries. Ware will now be eligible for a rookie-scale extension next offseason.

Seven options turned down this fall

Collier is the seventh player whose option was not picked up this fall, after Cody Williams, AJ Johnson, Pacome Dadiet, DaRon Holmes II, Nikola Topić and Tidjane Salaün of Charlotte. Every other option on the board was picked up. The full list, team by team, is in our tracker of every team’s option decisions.