Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) drives the ball toward the basket while guarded by Toronto Raptors guard Markelle Fultz (20) during an NBA game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Sarah Todd
By Sarah Todd
Sarah Todd covers the NBA and Utah Jazz for the Deseret News.

Every year in March, across the NBA, there are players that get their first crack at NBA life in the form of 10-day contracts.

Usually, the players are former second-round picks that weren’t on NBA rosters by the time their rookie seasons began, or they’re undrafted players that have created some buzz in the G League.

But there is a smaller group of players that also are looking to take advantage of 10-day deals in the latter days of the NBA season. Players who were once on NBA teams but fell out of of the league, look to make comebacks and make the most of any bit of playing time they can get their hands on.

That’s the case for two of the players that faced each other at the Delta Center on Monday night: Markelle Fultz and Kennedy Chandler.

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Utah Jazz guard John Konchar (55) goes up for a shot while guarded by Toronto Raptors guard Jamal Shead (23) during an NBA game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Toronto Raptors guard Markelle Fultz (20) controls the ball while guarded by Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) during an NBA game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Jazz guard Ace Bailey (19) celebrates his 3-pointer against the Toronto Raptors during an NBA game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic reacts after a play against the Utah Jazz during an NBA game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski (22) backs down Toronto Raptors forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) as Filipowski makes his way toward the basket during an NBA game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Jazz guard John Konchar (55) drives the ball past Toronto Raptors guard Gradey Dick (1) during an NBA game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy looks to the scoreboard during an NBA game against the Toronto Raptors held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Fans cheer after a Toronto Raptors player missed two foul shots in a row against the Utah Jazz, giving fans the opportunity to redeem a free item from Chick-fil-A as part of the "Fowl Shot" promotion during an NBA game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Jazz center Oscar Tshiebwe (34) lays the ball up past Toronto Raptors forward Trayce Jackson-Davis (32) during an NBA game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George reacts from the bench as fellow guard Ace Bailey (19) sinks a 3-pointer against the Toronto Raptors during an NBA game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Toronto Raptors forward Collin Murray-Boyles (12) blocks as shot from Utah Jazz forward Brice Sensabaugh (28) during an NBA game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) looks to pass the ball out while guarded by Toronto Raptors guard Markelle Fultz (20) during an NBA game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Jazz guard Ace Bailey (19) dunks the ball during an NBA game against the Toronto Raptors held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) drives the ball toward the basket while guarded by Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) during an NBA game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Jazz guard Ace Bailey (19) slaps hands with fellow guard Kennedy Chandler (0) as Bailey prepares to take foul shots against the Toronto Raptors during an NBA game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Fans field a loose ball during an NBA game between the Utah Jazz and the Toronto Raptors held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Jazz guard Bez Mbeng (21) fouls Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) as Barnes drives the ball toward the basket during an NBA game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) tries to steal the ball away from Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett (9) during an NBA game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Toronto Raptors guard Jamal Shead (23) talks with one of his teammates as a Utah Jazz player takes foul shots during an NBA game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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A lone Toronto Raptors fan cheers after a basket against the Utah Jazz during an NBA game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy claps after a play against the Toronto Raptors during an NBA game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Jazz guard Ace Bailey (19) shoots the ball past Toronto Raptors forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) during an NBA game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Jazz forward Brice Sensabaugh (28) clenches his fist after missing a shot against the Toronto Raptors during an NBA game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Toronto Raptors forward Collin Murray-Boyles (12) blocks as shot from Utah Jazz forward Brice Sensabaugh (28) during an NBA game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Jazz guard Ace Bailey (19) backs down Toronto Raptors guard Ja'kobe Walter (14) as he controls the ball during an NBA game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic calls out to his players during an NBA game against the Utah Jazz held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News

Fultz, the No. 1 overall draft pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2017, has had a season marred by mystery and injury that led to him being completely away from basketball for nearly a year.

Now, on a 10-day deal with the Toronto Raptors and finally feeling completely healthy, the 27-year-old is hoping he can prove that he is capable and deserving of another NBA deal.

“I think that’s the most important thing I’ve learned over the years, is just in order to give my best, I have to be healthy,” Fultz told The Athletic. “So I just took that time to do that again this offseason, and really just listen to my body and not rush anything. (I) didn’t worry about what other people were saying, didn’t worry about what people think.”

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Chandler was a consensus five-star recruit coming out of high school and helped lead the Tennessee Volunteers to an SEC tournament title in 2022. Despite his success and some early draft hype, Chandler fell to the second round of the NBA draft. Many believed that his fall had to do with his stature — measuring in at 5′11.5″ at the combine, without shoes.

He played in just 36 games for the Memphis Grizzlies in rookie season and was eventually waived in April of 2023.

After nearly three years of grinding in the G League with four different teams, Chandler signed a 10-day deal with the Jazz on Saturday and a few hours later scored 19 points and dished out four assists in his first NBA action since April 7, 2023.

“I thought he handled himself great,” Jazz head coach Will Hardy said after that first game. “It’s not easy to do what he just did in terms of stepping in. And ... he’s on the ball a lot at the beginning of the possessions, and that adds a layer of of pressure and puts you kind of in the spotlight. And I thought he played great.”

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Then on Monday night, Chandler once again made an impact with 13 points and nine assists in the Jazz’s loss to the Raptors.

For a player to come to a roster late in the NBA season and fit in while also being able to contribute, without having any chemistry with a team, might be surprising to many on the outside. But Jaren Jackson Jr. and John Konchar were teammates with Chandler in Memphis during his rookie season, and they are not surprised that he has earned himself another shot.

As for Hardy, there’s nothing surprising to him about players trying to hang on to the one thing that they’ve known and loved their entire lives.

“There are definitely moments that are surprising in a fun way, but desperation is a heck of a thing,” Hardy said. “And I think when people get opportunities like this, that are very finite — you signed a 10-day contract — you can treat that like a sprint. I think that all of the guys that we’ve had on 10-days this year have been outstanding."

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