The Utah Jazz have declined Isaiah Collier's team option for next season, meaning he will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. It's easy to read the tea leaves and conclude they are done with him, but that might not be the case.
The Salt Lake Tribune's Shreyas Laddha revealed that the Jazz will use this season to determine what they plan to do with Collier after how he does in Year 3.
"A source told The Tribune that Collier took the news well and the team will use the season to evaluate where things stand with the third-year guard.
"In deciding to decline his option, the team considered his play over the previous two seasons, along with his slow start this season."
In all fairness, it was going to be tough for Collier to find his niche on the team after Keyonte George's breakout and Darryn Peterson's integration. If he can figure that out over the course of this season, Utah may simply get ahead of his free agency by getting him on a team-friendly deal while they can.
However, if he doesn't, then it makes it easier for them to let him walk in the offseason. So far, his start has not been all that promising, but he's got time to figure this out.
It does mean it's do or die time for Collier
Collier no longer has the cushion of playing for a tanking team as he did over his first two seasons as a Jazzman. That's what makes all the losing to start even more painful to stomach because, from 2024 to 2026, losing fit snugly into their plans.
It's not like the Jazz's success will be entirely dependent on him, but it would be nice to see him take a leap at some point this season. Not just for their sake but for his. It's not like Collier is worthlelss, as his passing has dazzled from pretty much the beginning, but he has to prove he can do more than just that.
Collier has to prove himself as a shooter and as a defender. He doesn't have to be a sniper or a shutdown guy, but he has to prove that he's not a negative on both ends. What makes this situation just a tad nervewracking is the fact that Collier may very well figure this out, but it simply won't be in Utah.
He's got exactly 75 games to figure this out. That's more than enough time, but it won't be long before it expires.
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