Nemanja Bjelica was snapped hanging out with Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell in Belgrade. Meanwhile, Ricky Rubio seems to think Bjelica should join the Jazz fold.
With the Utah Jazz’s offseason officially in effect, visions of Jabari Parker, Aaron Gordon and (INSERT OTHER FREE AGENT PIPE DREAM HERE) are dancing in fans’ heads. And with good reason, too — the Jazz band is on the precipice of big things in the Wild West.
Of course, big is probably a relative term here. The Western Conference is the Golden State Warriors’ world; everyone else is just living in it.
Nevertheless, the Jazz appear to be just a piece or two shy of joining the ranks of the league’s elite. For his part, Utah’s starting point-man Ricky Rubio has an idea about where GM Dennis Lindsey should start looking for roster upgrades.
Specifically, his former Minnesota Timberwolves teammate, free agent big man Nemanja Bjelica. Rubio even low-key pitched Bjelica on the idea via Instagram over the weekend.
The 30-year-old big man has been in Belgrade for the Adidas/EuroLeague Next Generation Tournament. While there, someone snapped a pic of him hanging with Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell. He posted the pic on Instagram and even endorsed Mitchell as his Rookie of the Year pick in the caption —
Rubio’s response in the comments: “Teammates next year??” I’m not up on what exactly constitutes tampering these days, but it definitely seems like we’ve wandered into a gray area here.
Regardless, I, for one, like the sound of it. Bjelica checks many of the boxes that should be on the Jazz’s checklist for prospective big men.
First and foremost, he’s a career 37-percent shooter from 3-point range over three years in the NBA. He’s particularly good in the catch-and-shoot, connecting on 42 percent of his triples in those situations last season.
Bjelica also has a smooth handle, soft hands, and great vision on the pass for a big. In other words, he could be the playmaker in the frontcourt that the Jazz need.
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Bjelicia will be a restricted free agent this summer. However, the Wolves have a lot of money tied up with Andrew Wiggins‘ big extension about to kick in. Around $94 million is allotted to he, Jimmy Butler, Jeff Teague, Gorgui Dieng and Taj Gibson alone.
As a result, there’s a chance Bjelica could be had for a reasonable rate.
Tricky Ricky seems to think it’s a good idea. He probably wouldn’t shed any tears seeing his former squad lose another solid player, either.