Jusuf Nurkic Surgery Ends Season, Jazz Reeling

Jusuf Nurkic will undergo nose surgery and miss the rest of the 2025-26 season, league insider Chris Haynes reports. Nurkic averaged 10.9 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 41 games and is the third Jazz center lost this year after Walker Kessler and newly acquired Jaren Jackson Jr. Utah sits 18-39 and has already been fined $500,000 for alleged tanking, so losing Nurkic likely nudges the club toward protecting draft positioning. Merlin sees a battered camp turning inward. Kyle Filipowski is poised to start with Kevin Love as backup, turning remaining games into a development showcase and a shop window for future moves. If Filipowski or other youngsters flash, Utah gains tangible value; if not, the Jazz’s path to youth and picks only deepens.