7 Difference-makers the Utah Jazz signed past their prime

Rudy Gay (2021)

Rudy Gay has had an interesting NBA career. On one hand, you can make the argument that he didn’t live up to his potential coming out of college (as a top 10 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft). And that’s fair. However, he was an extremely productive player for a very long time in the league. So much so that he’s become an underrated player in retrospect.

Long after his prime years, though, the Utah Jazz took a flier on Gay during the 2021 offseason in which he signed a free-agent deal with the team.

Even as a seasoned veteran, it seemed as if there was an even bigger drop-off from Gay when he joined the Jazz. For the first time in his career, Gay averaged less than 10 points per game and played less than 20 minutes per contest in both seasons in Utah. At this point, considering his stint with the Jazz, it’s not a huge surprise that he finds himself as a free agent at the moment.

While there’s still a chance he could get another opportunity in the NBA, at the age of 37, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if he’s played his last game in the Association.