This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It all made sense. Tomic is considered by some to be the best big man in Europe. He's 28, in the prime of his career, yet his NBA window is dwindling.
Now, it may be shut all together. Reports have surfaced out of Spain that Tomic has signed an extension with Barcelona, which if true obviously means he's not coming to the league next season.
For their part, the Jazz are still in fact-finding stage, trying to weed out if the reports are accurate. If they are, that means, they need a back-up center for next season. Tomic would've made for a good third big man, with his size, his passing skills and his scoring in the paint.
But it's not a killer. Obviously, Rudy Gobert has established himself as a 35 minute a night force in the middle. So the Jazz need to fill in the blanks for about 15 minutes. Really, with Trevor Booker, they are looking for a fourth big.
That may have played a role in Tomic and his decision to stay overseas. Playing time probably won't be plentiful with the Jazz and their depth in the paint. Still, Utah needs to figure out that hole. They could do it in the upcoming NBA draft. They could do it through free agency. They may actually bring over Tibor Pleiss, the 7-foot-3 big man they received in the trade for Enes Kanter.
However the Jazz want to do it, finding another big man will be a priority this summer. It will be interesting to see what avenue they use in this pursuit.
Tony Jones