It's fallen under the wraps, but even after the John Collins trade and cutting Jordan Clarkson, the Utah Jazz have 16 players on the roster. When opening night comes around, they can't have that many players on the roster, so someone has to go. On July 25, the Jazz will have to make a decision that could solve this issue: Jaden Springer's guarantee date.
Two days from now, the Jazz will have to decide whether they want to keep Springer, whose contract is partially guaranteed. His guarantee date was named among the key dates for the Jazz this offseason, and that has become even more evident with them having more players on the roster at this point in the offseason.
As to how Springer factors into the Jazz's future, it is truly anyone's guess. He was a late-season addition who didn't provide much besides making the Jazz younger than they already were. Defensively, he's very much an NBA player, but offensively, he's only shown flashes of what he could be, which has been the case since he started his NBA career.
The Jazz have multiple guards that they likely will want to develop over him, including Isaiah Collier, Walter Clayton Jr., Keyonte George, and, even though he's oversized, Cody Williams. Still, it doesn't hurt to have another young player to develop even if he may not be in the long-term plans.
But if they keep him, that means that someone else will have to go. The obvious candidates are KJ Martin (non-guaranteed contract) and Kevin Love (veteran on a cheap contract who does not fit the team's long-term goals).
It's also very possible that the Jazz will get rid of all three at one point or another. With the moves they've made, Utah very clearly wants to build a team with a promising youth movement. There are other options though.
The Jazz may delay the date
It's very possible that at the moment, Utah is simply weighing their options with their current roster. Even though Springer's date is in two days, the Jazz may push it back while they try to work out everything else. There's no hurt in what they decide to do with him, whether they keep or cut him, so if they are still pondering what to do with some of their other players, why not delay the decision?
Springer is still young enough and has the talent to be a diamond in the rough for the Jazz, but no one will bat an eye if they cut him. The most crucial aspect about him currently is whether they cut him to meet the NBA's standards of 15 players on the roster.
However, they can keep him, having him play in training camp and the preseason before considering what to do with Springer. It will be very telling what they do on Friday. If they cut him, they simply thought he wasn't worth it. If they keep him, that means someone else will get the boot. If they delay the decision, that could mean a lot of other things.