Jazz would betray Jusuf Nurkic if they made this heartbreaking move

It's not every day you see a recognized NBA player embrace playing for the Utah Jazz, but Jusuf Nurkic has and pretty much from Day One. It is true that someone like him is probably best utilized on a playoff team, but that notion clearly hasn't bothered him at all. It's why the prospect of buying him out would feel like a betrayal, which is the Jazz really should avoid that option.

ESPN's Kevin Pelton floated this idea when talking about the Jazz's possibilities at the trade deadline.

"Nurkic is the lone Utah starter headed to unrestricted free agency, and his $19.4 million salary makes him a tough fit for contending teams via trade," Pelton wrote. "More realistically, the Jazz could try to work a buyout with Nurkic, who has averaged a career-high 4.3 assists per game by making plays when opposing defenses trap Utah guard Keyonte George."

Nurkic made it clear that he was excited to play for the Jazz from the moment he got there, and his stance has clearly never wavered. He's gone out of his way to let the Jazz know how much he loves playing for them.

He's shown his loyalty to his teammates (maybe a little too loyal) and has not complained at all. Best of all, he's not getting in the way of what the Jazz want to do, so until he does, and he's made it clear that he won't, keeping Nurkic shouldn't be a problem.

To be fair, Nurkic probably loves it primarily because the Jazz are one of the few NBA teams that gave him the opportunity to start, which players who are about to head into restricted free agency want more than anything. Because they've given him the chance to showcase his skills, which he's taken the most advantage of, he's more than grateful to them for it.

That's why buying him out doesn't seem like a real option

Buying him out would come off as though they just want him out of town, which feels tasteless because Nurkic has given every indication that he likes being in Utah. There's no reason to do that unless he specifically requests it. Since the Jazz are one of the NBA's worst teams anyway, it's not like getting rid of him really changes things up.

Now, that doesn't mean a Nurkic mid-season departure is out of the question. This might sound a little contradictory/hypocritical, but the only way the Jazz would part ways with Nurkic is if someone offers something for him, which, as Pelton pointed out, doesn't seem likely.

But, never underestimate a contender's desperation, which means that a Nurkic is technically possible. Because a trade isn't likely and because Nurkic has embraced being a Jazzman in full, a buyout seems like a completely unnecessary move.