Jazz free agent wing scorer & NBA champion ranked as seventh-best remaining free agent
By Matt John
The Utah Jazz don't have that many who hit the open market once free agency started. There's Kris Dunn, who will sign with the Clippers any day now, Omer Yurtseven, who the Jazz just waived, and there's Talen Horton-Tucker, who is still unsigned as of July 15.
The Jazz acquired Horton-Tucker, once thought to be part of the Lakers' future, for Patrick Beverley. His tenure in Utah has been mostly uneventful, but Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley explained why he believes the young wing is the seventh-best free agent left on the market.
(Note that Buckley didn't technically rank the free agents remaining, but the first free agent who appeared was Lamar Stevens and the last one was Tyus Jones, thus indicating who came first and last in the order. Also some of the players in that article have since signed on somewhere)
"There are still real concerns with his jump shot, but Talen Horton-Tucker is only 23 years old, typically puts up raw numbers whenever given the chance, and has good size (6'4" with a 7'1" wingspan) for a primary playmaker."
Buckley even suggested who could be Horton-Tucker's next team.
"If there's a team that could develop his raw talent into something more consistent, it may be the Miami Heat."
The Heat have a reputation for developing players with little value into hot enough commodities to get a nice big payday when their time is over with the Heat. Knowing what they lost, it's not the worst idea.
Could the Jazz entertain a Talen Horton-Tucker return?
Before anyone keels over laughing, keep in mind that Horton-Tucker's youth makes him an appealing asset. The Jazz may not want to roll the dice on him because he didn't help much. At the very worst, he takes up a roster spot, and that's it. With that in mind, it wouldn't be worth it.
It's not like the Jazz are in any rush to keep him because if they did, he'd already be re-signed. Simply put. Horton-Tucker didn't show enough to warrant a third go-round with the Jazz. If the Jazz want to rebuild, they've already seen enough of THT to know that maybe it's best to go in the other direction.
The Jazz shouldn't hold anything against him in the end, but it won't shock anyone if they simply move on from the wing scorer.