Ingles says goodbye to Jazz teammates: 'I'll always be watching'
After the Utah Jazz dealt Joe Ingles ahead of Thursday's trade deadline, the veteran forward acknowledged the pain of leaving the only NBA team he's ever played for.
Today hurts… I knew it was a possibility but didn’t want to believe it, we have been lucky to call this place home for 8 years!
— Joe Ingles (@Joeingles7) February 10, 2022
I got a lot more to say, but I’m going to have a beer & relax with some good friends..
Go get a win fellas! I’ll always be watching ❤️
Ingles, 34, suffered a season-ending ACL injury in late January and is in the final year of his contract. At 33-21, the Jazz had a pressing need to replace the depth lost by his injury.
The Jazz packaged Ingles' expiring contract with draft picks to bring in third-year guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker from the Portland Trail Blazers and forward Juancho Hernangomez from the San Antonio Spurs. Portland previously acquired Alexander-Walker on Tuesday from the New Orleans Pelicans.
After joining the franchise as a 27-year-old rookie in 2014, Ingles quickly emerged as a mainstay for a competitive Jazz team. The 6-foot-8 Australian logged 590 regular-season and 45 postseason games. At one point, Ingles held the NBA's ironman streak, appearing in 418 consecutive games from December 2015 to January 2021.
Ingles cemented his place in Jazz lore by drilling a franchise-record 1,071 threes during his run with the team. He also currently ranks fifth in team history in assists (2,213) and ninth in steals (544).