3 Utah Jazz that earned untouchable status, 1 that should be cut loose

1. Rudy Gay

Rudy Gay has been a fine player. He’s had a fine career. But that’s about as much as can be said at this point. His contributions to this Jazz team have been negligible at best. He averaged almost 15 minutes per game, scoring 5.2 points and grabbing 2.9 rebounds. Per DunksandThrees.com, he had an estimated plus-minus of -3.4, putting him in the lower quarter of the league.

Now that he is entering his 18th year on an expiring deal, the Jazz would be wise to move on. Looking at the depth chart, Gay sits behind Lauri Markkanen and Kelly Olynyk at the power forward spot. Moving on from Gay would provide roster space as Utah continues its build around Lauri, and part of that will be finding a suitable secondary four to develop. Not to say Olynyk isn’t serviceable, but he is 32 and probably can’t keep up at 28 minutes a game.

Gay’s contract isn’t daunting by any means at $6.5 million a year, but playtime is like royal jelly in the NBA. Those 15 minutes for Gay could prove to be much more valuable to a new rookie or younger prospect coming in, which is exactly what Gay’s roster spot needs to become.