NBA Rumors: Utah Jazz Should Trade Gordon Hayward Before He Tests NBA Free Agency

Gordon Hayward may be looking to leave the Utah Jazz in the 2017 NBA offseason. If so, should the Jazz trade Hayward or risk losing him for nothing in NBA free agency?

This is going to be an interesting season for the Utah Jazz. After spending the last four seasons stockpiling young talent, the expectations are high. This is supposed to be the season where the Jazz break out and become one of the playoff teams in a deep Western Conference. No one will be surprised if the Jazz were to win 50 games this year while having homecourt advantage in the first round of the postseason. When there is an abundance of talent on a team, there could eventually be problems ahead.

Unfortunately, the Jazz’s time to compete could be shortened.

There are a lot of important roster decisions coming for the Utah Jazz. And it involves their entire starting frontcourt.

According the Salt Lake Tribune, Gordon Hayward will test NBA free agency after the end of the season. His desire to get a maximum NBA contract puts the Jazz in a bind.

Gordon Hayward’s free agency status coincides with Derrick Favors being due for a contract extension. To make matters worse, center Rudy Gobert will enter restricted free agency. Chances are great that the Jazz will match any offer Gobert receives.

Which players do the Jazz keep? They can keep them all, but building a team around the trio will be a difficult proposition. Utah is a small-market team. And while the salary cap is basically even in the NBA, keeping Hayward, Favors, and Gobert will force the Jazz to go into the luxury tax at some point. It is either that or fill out the team with a bunch of lower-salaried players.

That can remedy things, as could be the Utah Jazz and Derrick Favors deciding on a restructured contract. Basketball Insiders points out that the Jazz can re-work Favors’ deal as early as October.

The trade of Tibor Pleiss (courtesy of the Philadelphia Inquirer) to the Philadelphia 76ers gave the Jazz $12 million of cap flexibility for this season. If some of the salary space this season were to go to Favors, it would give the Jazz the ability to keep everyone while maintaining some cap space.

Another possible solution is for the Jazz to trade Gordon Hayward. The Jazz wants to keep him, but a max deal for Hayward can be crippling. The Jazz, despite the playoff expectations, are still two years away from being regarded as Western Conference contenders.

If the Jazz decide to pursue a trade for Gordon Hayward they will have several takers. The teams which come to mind are the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, and Los Angeles Lakers. Each team has an obvious need for what Gordon Hayward does, and they could offer the Jazz some fairly solid deals.

The Celtics have looked for a star player to group with their up-and-coming nucleus. They were able to add Al Horford in free agency, but he may not be enough to get the Celtics over the hump. The Celtics have just what the Jazz would take in young players, on rookie salaries, and strong potential.

A trade consisting of Celtics’ rookie Jaylen Brown and Jae Crowder could get the Jazz to give up Gordon Hayward. Getting Brown and Crowder from the Celtics would give the Jazz more flexibility going forward. The Jazz do not sacrifice what they are building, which is important.

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As for the Bulls, they want to ascend to the Eastern Conference elite. And to get there they are one puzzle piece away. If the idea is for the Bulls to play fast, Gordon Hayward is a perfect find.

If the Bulls want to acquire Hayward from the Jazz prior to targeting him in NBA free agency, they can dangle Nikola Mirotic and Jerian Grant. It may not enough for the Jazz to pull the trigger on a trade, but it is a start. If not, the Bulls could simply fall through with their initial plans of recruiting Hayward next summer.

The Lakers need to speed up their rebuilding project, and adding Gordon Hayward from the Utah Jazz is one way to accelerate things.

Unlike the Celtics, Bulls, and Jazz, the Lakers are nowhere near being able to compete in the playoffs. The key for them is to put butts in seats. They could view Hayward as a guy who can fill seats with his versatility. The Lakers could tempt the Jazz with guard D’Angelo Russell and draft picks.

Why would the Utah Jazz be interested in Russell?

Dante Exum did not play an NBA game after tearing his knee before the 2015-16 season. The Sydney Morning Herald has confirmed that Exum has been cleared to return to his basketball duties, but it is uncertain how he will fare with the Jazz. Russell would be an ample insurance policy.

What will factor into the Jazz’s decision is how they view Gordon Hayward.

Is Gordon Hayward a star player? Hayward is a good player who has never been an All-Star and was not selected to play with the U.S. Men’s basketball team in the Rio games. Hayward wants to be paid like a star when he enters free agency. And unless the Jazz can get something reasonable done with Derrick Favors in October, they may pass.

If the Utah Jazz views Hayward as a top-20 NBA player, they will do what they can to keep him. Chances are that some team will pay Hayward what the Jazz cannot. But Hayward is too good to let walk for nothing.

The Bulls, Celtics, and Lakers all will have some cap flexibility to sign Gordon Hayward in free agency. Would it be wise for the Utah Jazz to trade him now? As long as trading Hayward does not set the Jazz back on their goals of Western Conference contention in the next two years, they must.

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