The Jazz lost another big man in their rotation for the rest of the season.
According to multiple reports, Jusuf Nurkić will undergo season-ending surgery on his nose on Wednesday.
Nurkić has been experiencing complications with his breathing and sleeping since he broke his nose several years ago. NBA insider Chris Haynes reports this.
The season-ending procedure comes at a time when Nurkić has seen an increase in his production, averaging 10.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game while shooting 50.3 percent from the field this season.
Additionally, Nurkić has averaged 4.8 assists per game this year.
The 2025-2026 season was Nurkić’s first with the Jazz after playing for the Nuggets, Trail Blazers, Suns and Hornets.
Nurkić will be an unrestricted free agent this upcoming offseason and is nearing the end of a four-year, $70 million contract he originally signed with the Trail Blazers in 2022.
He now joins a growing list of Jazz players who have had their seasons cut short due to injury.
Jaren Jackson Jr. recently underwent knee surgery to address a benign growth, and Walker Kessler was forced to end his season early in early November after suffering a torn labrum.
The organization was also embroiled in the ongoing conversation around the NBA about tanking.
The NBA has fined the Jazz $500,000 for violating the league’s player participation policy.
The fine stemmed from cases on Feb. 7 and 9 in which the NBA said the Jazz charged Lauri Markkanen and Jackson Jr. before the start of the fourth quarter and didn’t let them play the rest of the evening.
“These players were able to continue playing and the outcome of the matches was subsequently in doubt,” the league said in a statement at the time.
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