While the Utah Jazz found success within many players in the 2022-23 season, there are a few players the team should be cutting ties with going into next year.
The Jazz enter the offseason with a few young studs and talented players that’ll most likely stick on the team for the coming years. Players like Most Improved Player candidate, Lauri Markkanen, or Rookie of the Year candidate, Walker Kessler have cemented themselves as Utah Jazz cornerstones.
We do know Danny Ainge in the front office isn’t afraid to take a swing, so you never know who could be on their way in or out. However, what Danny Ainge is always willing to do is try whatever it takes to build a championship team.
With that, there are a few players on the roster entering this off-season that should be on their way out for the betterment of the franchise going forward. Whether it be for the Jazz to improve at the position, or to save cap space, the Jazz could look to make a few adjustments to the roster this offseason to make a stronger playoff push for next season; and they should.
Let’s take a look at three players the Jazz should be looking to move on from this offseason:
1. Rudy Gay
The Jazz signed Gay to a three-year deal a couple of offseasons ago, with the third year being a player option. Whether he declines the option or accepts it, the Jazz need to move on from Rudy Gay going into 2023.
At this point in his career, Rudy Gay does not fit the team’s timeline. He’ll be 37 entering next season with only 19 career playoff games played. At this point in Gay’s career, he should be following championships and contending rosters, and at this point, that’s not the Jazz.
If Gay accepts the pending player option, he’ll be due about $6.5 million this upcoming season. For the Jazz, not only is this too much to pay an aging role player, but he also takes a roster spot from what should be a young player to develop. While there is truth to having some value in veteran leadership, Rudy Gay is not worth the money or the roster spot for Utah at the moment.
If Gay declines the player option, the decision is easy to not bring him back to the roster. If he accepts the player option, look to see the Jazz trade Gay to a contending team, or to another team as a salary dump.
2. Simone Fontecchio
If you have never heard this name before in your life; I don’t blame you. Fontecchio is a 27-year-old rookie from Italy who averaged 6.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in his first year in the league. Despite being signed to a two-year deal by the Jazz last offseason, Fontecchio really shouldn’t see any more time with the Jazz going forward.
Last season, Simone struggled a bit with his efficiency. He shot 37% from the field and 33% from three. With him already having so many years under his belt as a player, it’s not like there’s much progression to be expected with him.
The Jazz will have a great opportunity this offseason to improve their backup forwards as well. Whether it comes from one of their three first-round picks, or from their substantial cap space this offseason, the Jazz should most likely have some better players coming in to take up some minutes at forward.
So let’s take a step back and ask ourselves: does Simone Fontecchio really have a long-term future with the Utah Jazz? Probably not, and with him being owed about $3 million next season, that’s money that can be better spent elsewhere.
If Fontecchio can be dealt for a late pick, or be thrown in as a salary dump in a deal this offseason, the Jazz should jump on it. The roster spot and cap space can be spent better elsewhere.
3. Collin Sexton
Sexton got signed to the Jazz on a multi-year deal last offseason as a part of the Mitchell trade. After returning from a knee injury the year prior, Sexton did have a pretty productive year; he averaged 14.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game in 2022-23. He was also able to shoot the ball at a pretty efficient rate as well, posting 51/39/81 spots.
However, there are two problems when it comes to Collin Sexton, 1. being his contract, and 2. being his availability
Last offseason, Sexton signed a 4-year, $72 million contract with the Jazz that will go until the 2025-26 season. At the end of his contract, he’ll be making close to $19 million. While at face value that may not be a horrible contract for Sexton, his recent availability has been a bit concerning. Playing 59 games in the past two seasons, you can’t help but worry if this will be a trend that continues.
Paying Sexton that kind of money to only play half of the games in a season doesn’t come out to great value. What would present better value would be to trade Sexton to a team that may need bench scoring or guard depth.
The Jazz can find a replacement for Collin Sexton while potentially being able to save cap in the process. If Utah can get a young player or draft capital in return for Sexton this offseason, they should absolutely move on it.