NBA Rumors: Jazz Could Lose Bojan Bogdanovic To Season-Ending Wrist Surgery, Per ‘ESPN’ Report

The Utah Jazz signed Bojan Bogdanovic in the 2019 NBA free agency with the hope that he would help them dominate the Western Conference and bring home the Larry O’Brien Trophy in the 2019-20 season. However, though the current season is still in limbo due to the spread of coronavirus, it seems like Bogdanovic’s first year with the Jazz is already over.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Bogdanovic is planning to undergo wrist surgery that could force him to miss the remaining games of the season.

“In what promises to be a difficult loss to a Western Conference playoff contender, Utah Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic will undergo season-ending surgery on his wrist, sources told ESPN. Bogdanovic will undergo surgery on Tuesday to repair the scapholunate ligament in his right wrist, sources said. Bogdanovic injured the wrist in late 2019 and then played in considerable discomfort, sources said. The decision to have surgery gives Bogdanovic a chance to fully recover in anticipation of the start of the 2020-21 season.”

Bogdanovic is undeniably a huge loss for the Jazz. Bogdanovic’s absence wouldn’t only affect the Jazz’s performance on the offensive end of the floor, but they would also lose someone who is capable of guarding the opposing team’s best player. Before the NBA suspension, the Jazz were sitting at the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference with a 41-23 record, and Bogdanovic was having the best season of his NBA career, averaging 20.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from beyond the arc.

However, undergoing wrist surgery might be what is best for Bogdanovic and the Jazz. Though his presence would undeniably help the Jazz make a deep playoff run in the 2019-20 season, Bogdanovic is unlikely to be at 100 percent. In their games against the Toronto Raptors before the NBA went on a hiatus, Bogdanovic was already showing some signs of discomfort. In the 24 minutes he played, he only posted five points and two assists and shot two-of-eight from the field and one-of-four from the three-point range.

Aside from the outcome of the 2019-20 NBA season, the Jazz should also be worried about the relationship between their two franchise cornerstones Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. Continuous rumors have been circulating that there’s an ongoing dispute between Mitchell and Gobert. If they fail to address the issue soon, most people believe that the Jazz will be forced to trade either Mitchell or Gobert in the 2020 offseason.