5 Players the Utah Jazz gave up on a bit too soon

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LANDOVER, MD – NOVEMBER 8: Dell Curry #30 of the Charlotte Hornets before a NBA basketball game against the Washington Bullets at USAir Arena on November 8, 1995 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

4. Dell Curry

While Dell Curry wasn’t ever an All-Star or All-NBA level player like the previous players on this list (or even like his son), Dell was always an impactful player in his 16-year career in the NBA. Curry’s long career started with a short stint in Salt Lake City.

Dell Curry was drafted by the Jazz in the 1986 NBA Draft at 15th overall but did not ever play up to those expectations in Utah. In his rookie year, his sole season with the Jazz, Curry averaged 4.9 points per game with an unimpressive 28% average from beyond the arc.

After his rookie year, Curry was traded to Cleveland for Darryl Dawkins. Dawkins, who was age 31 at the time, played only four games for Utah before being traded to the Pistons. Curry on the other hand became a career 40% three-point shooter, shooting over the mark eight-straight seasons from 1991-99.

Imagine how Dell would’ve fit in with the Jazz’s Finals teams in the 90s, or how he would’ve looked getting a ton of open looks from Hall of Fame John Stockton. However, the Jazz decided that a washed Darryl Dawkins was a better fit for the team.