There’s no denying the fact that Utah Jazz needs are now quickly dwindling.
One has to wonder if the Utah Jazz front office is plotting to produce a sequel to Rudy. After all, Ru-dy! Ru-dy! Ru-dy! has been a chant of choice in Salt Lake City throughout three moves in free agency this week.
The first was Monday’s announced agreement to re-sign All-Star point guard Mike Conley, who just so happens to be the best pick-and-roll partner with two-time All-Star center Rudy Gobert.
Then came Tuesday news of a deal to bring in none other than, yup, Rudy Gay.
ALSO READ: Rudy Gay agrees to a deal with the Jazz
Finally, on Tuesday evening, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that Utah has reeled in a solid backup for the 7-foot-1, 260-pound Rudy Gobert in 7-foot, 265-pound center Hassan Whiteside. Even better, according to multiple reports, the 32-year-old with nine NBA seasons under his belt will arrive at an excellent price via the veteran minimum.
A sizeable role ahead for Utah Jazz’s Hassan Whiteside?
Thus far, of last season’s nine primary rotation players, only two are on the way out. As of Tuesday, backup forward Georges Niang is packing “The Minivan” and heading to the Philadelphia 76ers with an expected two-year signing. Earlier in the week, Utah traded reserve center Derrick Favors to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
On that note, despite a strong showing by 2020 first-rounder Udoka Azubuike during Tuesday’s SLC Summer League action, Whiteside should see significant minutes.
And should he rediscover his Miami Heat vibes — see his 2014-15 highlights above — the Jazz could implement menacing lineups with him and Gobert.
Whiteside averaged 14.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks for Miami from 2014 to 2019 before his past two seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings.