The Utah Jazz on Thursday morning made their first moves in cutting their roster from 20 players to the NBA maximum of 15, waiving point guard Marcus Paige and forwards Quincy Ford and Eric Dawson.
Drafted 55th overall by the Jazz out of North Carolina in June, Paige appeared in two preseason games, averaging 5.5 points and 1.5 assists.
Both having signed with Utah as free agents, Ford and Dawson got their only action of the preseason Wednesday night against the Phoenix Suns.
Paige and Ford are expected to be in the mix for spots on the Jazz's D-League team, the Salt Lake City Stars. That roster is expected to take shape after the NBA's Oct. 24 deadline for finalizing rosters.
Of the 17 players still on Utah's roster, 14 have guaranteed contracts, essentially meaning that Jeff Withey, Chris Johnson and Henry Sims are fighting for the last roster spot.
Wednesday night against Phoenix wasn't the best for any of them. Withey didn't play, as Sims and former Weber State star Joel Bolomboy saw significant minutes, while Johnson suffered a left calf contusion and is day-to-day and Sims was ejected in the third quarter for a Flagrant 2.
Ryan McDonald is a sports reporter at DeseretNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ryanwmcdonald.