According to numerous reports, including the official team site, the Deseret News and the Salt Lake Tribune, the Jazz have signed third-year guard Ronnie Price to a multi-year deal.

Price played the last two years for the Sacramento Kings, averaging 3.3 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 9.7 minutes per game. He dropped a career-high 16 points against the Jazz last November, including a thunderous dunk on Carlos Boozer. He’s something of a combo guard, much more of a shooter/scorer than a distributor, though he only stands 6′2″ (but with crazy hops and athleticism).

I like Price’s talent — I watched him frequently when he played locally at Utah Valley State College — and this move seems to be part of a general trend toward the Jazz improving overall team athleticism (adding to the team youth movement as well). It should serve to guarantee that the Jazz will have no shortage of scorers on the roster. Doesn’t necessarily seem like Jerry Sloan’s type of player, though. Could the Jazz front office be readying for Sloan’s retirement in the coming years by stockpiling young, athletic talent?

The biggest immediate effect this might have on the Jazz is that we may be saying farewell to former Illinois guard Dee “Shorty” Brown. The crowd favorite played decently in the Rocky Mountain Revue but didn’t sparkle, and although the Jazz tendered a qualifying offer to him to preserve his restricted free agent status, no further action has been taken. The Price signing means that the Jazz now have the following back-court players under contract or as possible re-signees: Deron Williams, Ronnie Price, Jason Hart, Gordan Giricek, Morris Almond, and Ronnie Brewer, with Matt Harpring sometimes playing the 2, and Brown’s and C.J. Miles’ status still uncertain. That’s NINE players for two positions. Suffice it to say, not all of these players are going to be wearing Jazz blue come November.

Regardless, I’m glad to see that Kevin O’Connor isn’t afraid to tinker with the roster, even after quite a successful season. But something bigger may be coming.

UPDATE: AOL FanHouse has taken notice of the Ronnie Price signing and points out the nightmare that awaits C-Booz every day in practice, facing off against the kid who posterized him. They also astutely observe that Price will be battling (beating out?) Jason Hart for minutes, the same as he did in Sacramento (which was part of the reason Hart was so despondent there). Will the rivalry continue? Tracking….