Ingles Understands Trade Talks, Isn’t Ready To Retire

SALT LAKE CITY – Joe Ingles spoke publically for the first time since tearing his ACL in the Utah Jazz 126-106 loss Sunday night to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The eight-year veteran discussed his plans for rehab, the upcoming trade deadline, and his future during the conversation.

Ingles had been a hallmark of good health during his career in Utah, at one time owning the league’s longest consecutive games-played streak without sitting out.

However, that all changed when the guard collapsed to the floor in Minnesota due to a season-ending knee injury. Though the injury was officially diagnosed on Monday, Ingles has to wait to regain range of motion in his knee before he can have it surgically repaired.

“There’s just a lot to digest and go through, meeting to figure out what the best route going forward is,” Ingles said of his rehab plan. “Hopefully in the next couple of days, I’ll have a bit clearer path of what this is going to look like.”

Ingles Understands Trade Talks In Utah

ACL’s traditionally take between 6-9 months to heal, meaning Ingles could be ready to suit up again early in the 2022-23 season.

However, even before the injury, the next six months were already set to be some of the busiest in Ingles career.

First, the NBA trade deadline is next week, and with an expiring contract, Ingles name was being thrown around frequently in trade rumors.

Second, even if the Jazz had planned to hold onto the veteran through the trade deadline, the team may have not had the financial resources to re-sign Ingles this summer.

That would have left Ingles to sign with another team, remain a free agent into the season, or potentially return to Australia.

Now with the injury, the likelihood that Ingles could be traded might have gone up.

“It was looking 50-50 obviously at the time,” Ingles said of a move before the deadline. “Obviously now being injured, we’ll see what happens.”

Trade Doesn’t Mean End Of Ingles Jazz Career

Even if the Jazz opt to trade Ingles before the February 10 deadline, that doesn’t mean the guard’s career in Utah would be over.

Whichever team was acquiring Ingles at the deadline was likely only doing so to get out of future financial obligations by moving a long-term contract the Jazz guard’s deal which expires this summer.

After tearing his ACL, not only will Ingles never suit up for whichever team would trade for him, he likely wouldn’t ever leave Utah.

And, due to the NBA’s rules involving trades, Ingles would be free to sign with the Jazz after his contract expires in July.

Traditionally, a player can’t re-sign with a team that traded him until a year after the trade was completed if he is waived. However, if the player hits free agency after being waived, he is free to rejoin his former team during the next free agency period.

That mean’s Ingles could rejoin the Jazz as soon as he’s deemed medically cleared next season.

“I’ve been very vocal about me not wanting to be anywhere else and playing my playing out my career here,” Ingles said of remaining in Utah. “Again, I still think I have a couple more years to give.”

Ingles Has No Pans To Retire

Despite his uncertain future and a long rehab ahead, there seem to be no plans for Ingles to retire.

Not only did the guard discuss returning to the NBA on his own terms, he has the backing of his wife Renae.

“Even this morning, I was talking to her knowing I had to come in here and she was like, ‘It’s not a point of view coming back,” Ingles was told by his wife, “you’re gonna come back better.”

While fans in Utah may be wondering about his NBA future, Ingles said he got his sights set even further into the future.

“I’m still going to go to Paris,” Ingles said of the 2024 Olympic games. “And I’m still going to play before that. So we’ll figure all that out, that’s still the plan.”

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