Danuel House Jr.’s final 10-day contract with the Utah Jazz expired on Feb. 8, and so the free agent guard-forward left Salt Lake City, but he hoped that it wouldn’t be for long.
He’d made a good impression on the Jazz in his limited minutes and had quickly taken a liking to head coach Quin Snyder and the rest of the team — a contending team that needed some help on the perimeter, someone who could provide defense and grit.
It seemed like a perfect fit.
After the trade deadline passed last Thursday, the Jazz reached out to House and offered him a contract to be on the roster for the rest of the season.
“It’s the best feeling in the world,” House said on Sunday. “The way this season has been going, it’s been rocky, especially for me.
“To be able to get more stability, it eases the mind. To add to that, this is a good organization and they believe in me so much. They’re pouring into me.”
Intensity and a competitive spirit were what the Jazz wanted from House over the course of his three 10-day contracts with the team, and that’s exactly what he brought.
“The only thing I wanted to do was control my effort,” House said, “then just leave it with the (front) office and the coaches to say, ‘Yeah, we need this guy.’ All I wanted to do was control the little things, the things they needed my help with.”
After House officially signed with the Jazz for the remainder of the season, he was all set to play in his first game with the team as a full member of the roster, but started to feel a little soreness in his shoulder prior to tipoff last Friday against the Orlando Magic.
The Jazz decided to hold House out, but he assured reporters on Sunday that it was not a big deal, that he’d been throughly tested, examined and treated and that he was ready to get back to action.
House was a full participant in practice on Sunday and is not listed on the Jazz’s injury report ahead of their Monday contest at Vivint Arena against his former team, the Houston Rockets.
After spending just over three seasons with the Rockets, House was waved earlier this season, but the COVID-19 hardship contracts available to teams this season gave House another chance to show that he was still capable of what he’d shown through multiple playoff series with Houston.
After a 10-day hardship deal with the New York Knicks, House signed a hardship deal with the Jazz and then two more standard 10-day deals, and it was just the opportunity he’d been hoping for.
“Not only that, but it’s a chance to come here and make some noise,” House said. “Things I prayed about are coming to fruition, so I’m happy about it.”