HUGE LOSE: North Carolina Tar Heels Standout key departed
**CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Armando Bacot, the all-time rebounding leader for North Carolina, has signed an Exhibit 10 free-agent contract with the Utah Jazz, as reported by Tony Jones of The Athletic on Thursday night.**
Bacot went undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft, which had 58 selections over two rounds. An Exhibit 10 deal is a one-year, minimum salary contract with no bonuses, but it can be converted into a two-way deal before the regular season starts.
In the draft, Utah picked Colorado swingman Cody Williams at No. 10 and Southern Cal guard Isiah Collier at No. 29 in the first round, and added Duke big man Kyle Filipowski at No. 32 in the second round. Bacot’s former UNC teammate Harrison Ingram was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs at No. 48.
During his final season at Carolina, Bacot focused on improving his defense, aiming to show skills that would translate to the NBA. His efforts paid off as he earned ACC All-Defensive Team honors and finished third in the voting for Defensive Player of the Year. He led the ACC in rebounding with 10.3 boards per game and was third in blocked shots with 1.5 per game, including multiple blocks in 15 games and a career-high six against Florida State.
“Going into this year, that was one of the main things I really wanted to show that I can do,” Bacot said in March about his defensive improvements. “Especially with how we play defense, we do a lot of pro-style defense, just like icing screens and doing different things like that, switching out.”
Despite his scoring dipping slightly to 14.5 points per game, Bacot enhanced his role in ways valuable to the modern NBA, becoming a more impactful screener and rebounder.
“His screens on the offensive end have been elite,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said in January. “So much so, that’s why we’re getting to the basket and we’re able to finish and get layups and get fouled and get to the free throw line.”
Other Tar Heels recognized Bacot’s contributions. Ingram, after a win against Wake Forest, highlighted Bacot’s effective screening and boxing out.
Bacot finished his five-year UNC career as the ACC’s all-time leader in games played (169) and North Carolina’s all-time rebounding leader (1,715 boards). He also set records for double-doubles (87) and matched Tim Duncan’s ACC record in that category. Bacot was a two-time All-ACC first-team selection and is only the second Tar Heel, alongside Billy Cunningham, to lead the ACC in rebounding for three seasons.
“For him to be at one university and to be able to stay in college like, you can do that,” Davis said in March. “You can stay in college, you can get your degree, you can be a great player, you can be successful and you can still have the opportunity to have a long NBA career. And Armando is a great example of that.”