Utah Jazz: Nerves building around Gordon Hayward's free agency
Nerves are building in the Utah Jazz front office as the Miami Heat become the latest team to show interest in Gordon Hayward.
Gordon Hayward is the pride of the Utah Jazz. He's their little secret, constantly performing, always underrated.
With his All-Star selection this season, the secret is slipping out, tongues are wagging and Hayward is all of a sudden a hot commodity in a league lacking elite wing players.
With a player option for 2017-18 likely to be declined despite missing out on the designated player exception, Hayward will be on the market and in line for a career payday wherever it is he signs.
The Boston Celtics have always been a team mentioned alongside Hayward's free agency. His fatherly relationship with his former college coach is impossible to ignore, although his return to Utah has always seemed inevitable.
He's not shied away from the fact that opportunities coming his way will be considered, but that's basic business. Hayward will complete his due diligence as he said in his exit interview:
"That's why you hire an agent, to deal with this type of stuff. I'm sure he's going to go through all of the options for me, let me know what can happen. I know there's a lot of stuff that can definitely go down. So, once I sit down and talk with him, we'll move forward from there."
Coming off another season of improvement as he enters his prime, Hayward put up appealing numbers in 2016-17.
His 21.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game were career-highs. The 3.5 assists were right on his average with the 47 percent shooting a distinct improvement on 2015-16's 43 percent.
Set to sustain these numbers, if not improve on them, teams are preparing their presentations for when free agency opens on July 1.
With the Jazz being the prominent leader among any contender that tries to pry Hayward from their grasp, the Celtics will be breathing down their neck – but they aren't the only ones.
The Miami Heat are the latest to throw their hat in the ring after having Chris Bosh's contract wiped away following a joint medical review. Life-threatening blood clots in Bosh's lungs have ended his career and made the Heat big players in the upcoming offseason.
With Bosh off the books, Miami boasts roughly $37 million in cap space. ESPN's Marc Stein has reported the Heat could be a legitimate threat to steal Hayward away from the Jazz.
Cap space aside, the Heat might be barking up the wrong tree. Hayward wants to win, and even in the loaded Western Conference, the Jazz are coming off an injury-plagued 51-win season. The Heat won 10 fewer games against teams in a weaker conference.
It's not a good sell for Heat president, Pat Riley.
The Jazz have the wins and $50 million other reasons to calm their nerves. They should be confident in retaining their man.
The Heat are banking on Hayward wanting to make the shift to the Eastern Conference. A move east isn't the best hill to die on when his ultimate goal is to win a ring. His decision will depend on who gives him the best chance at beating the NBA's benchmark, the Golden State Warriors.
At the moment, that team is the Jazz.
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