When the Utah Jazz traded Collin Sexton for Jusuf Nurkic, all indications were that he will be on the team for Opening Night. However, since he is on an expiring contract, there's no telling if he will finish the season. If what ESPN's Brian Windhorst says is true, Nurkic won't be long for Utah.
On ESPN's The Hoop Collective, Windhorst expressed his doubts that Nurkic will play the whole season for Utah.
"The Jazz still have Jusuf Nurkic on their books. Who knows for how long? I would be quite surprised if he finishes the season there," Windhorst said.
Nurkic is the oldest player on the Jazz, and he has extensive playoff experience. He could be that veteran presence on the roster for some time. After they traded John Collins, they may have Nurkic come in to play just as a precaution in case players like Kyle Filipowski and Taylor Hendricks aren't quite ready for a heavy minute load just yet.
Whether they are or aren't - Filipowski has looked like he was born ready from the start - it's fair to say that Nurkic is best off on a playoff contender rather than with a rebuilding team like Utah. He has shown since the trade that he's more than happy to get acquainted with the area, but the Jazz have signaled through all their moves that their biggest priority is developing their young talent.
Nurkic likely won't get in the way of that, regardless, but he obviously will want to play somewhere that can help him compete for his next deal. So this will likely end with him traded and/or bought out. So everything Windhorst said above checks out.
But when will that be?
Giving Nurkic an introductory press conference signals that he will be in Utah for some time at the very least. It might not be for very long, but there's not too much harm in keeping a veteran like that around.
However, much like this past season, the young prospects coming in 2026 will make teams tank. The prospect of AJ Dybantsa or Cam Boozer is tantalizing enough for multiple teams to throw away their seasons for the chance to grab them.
At this stage of his career, Nurkic won't change much for the Jazz's outlook like, say, John Collins did this past season, but Utah likely won't take any chances. Nurkic is not the player that he was with in his heyday with Portland, but he didn't have a terrible all-around season last year, averaging 8.9 points and 7.8 rebounds while shooting 47.7% from the field.
So there may not necessarily be a rush for Utah to get rid of him. Expect the new calendar year to start before the Jazz cut ties with Nurkic. No matter what happens there, there shouldn't be much fuss.