NBA Rumours: 3 players who could leave the Utah Jazz in the coming weeks
The Utah Jazz entered the 18/19 season with the belief that they could make a deep run in the postseason. They were coming off a season in which they had surpassed expectations by eliminating the Oklahoma City Thunder from the playoffs, and Donovan Mitchell was expected to build upon his excellent rookie season.
However, the Jazz struggled offensively throughout the regular season, and Quin Snyder's men were eliminated during the first round of the playoffs by the Houston Rockets. Following an early postseason exit, Utah will look to upgrade its roster this summer, and here are three individuals that could make way for new additions.
#3 Ricky Rubio
Following their failure to add one ahead of the trade deadline, a new point guard remains a priority for the Jazz this summer. The likes of Mike Conley, Kemba Walker, and D'Angelo Russell have all been linked with a move to Utah, and Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report believes that Ricky Rubio has no future with the franchise:
While Ricky Rubio has helped guide the Utah Jazz to the last two postseasons, he's apparently not a priority in free agency. This could mean Utah plans to use shooting guard Donovan Mitchell in more of playmaking role, as he's spent 31 percent of his career minutes at the 1.
Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker headline the free-agent point guard class, but neither has been linked to Utah. Other options include Malcolm Brogdon, Derrick Rose, Terry Rozier, Darren Collison and Rajon Rondo. Whoever the Jazz settle on as their new starting point guard for the 2019-20 season, it almost certainly won't be Rubio.
Rubio has been among the Jazz's most instrumental performers since joining from the Timberwolves back in 2017. During the 18-19 campaign, he averaged 12.7 points, 6.1 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game.