Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — The deadline to extend rookie contracts without letting the player go to free agency next year has passed; Gordon Hayward did not get his extension.
Hayward will become a free agent in the summer. The Utah Jazz and their most-tenured player Hayward were working on a long-term deal to keep the fourth-year player on the Jazz roster but couldn't find a middle ground.
Teams had to lock in first-round picks by the end of Oct. 31 to get an extension or they would become restricted free agents in the summer. The Jazz locked up Derrick Favors last week to a reported four-year, $47 million deal.
So what is next for the Jazz and Hayward? The two sides weren't able to get a deal done so they will have to take their chances of sorts on the semi-open market.
Jazz
The Jazz not signing Hayward is a low-risk proposition. The biggest risk might be seeing Hayward become the face of the franchise, then turn sour on the organization.
#poll
According to Marc Stein of ESPN, “they were ultimately hesitant on deadline day to go beyond the $50 million mark, mere days removed from committing $47 million to big man Favors to anchor Utah's defense.” There were reports that Hayward was looking for Paul George money. Earlier in the offseason, Hayward received a five-year, $80 million max offer. For a player that is yet to take a superstar step, that would have been a big risk with a very young team that covets cap flexibility. The Jazz can easily match any deal that Hayward would get in free agency. At the end of it all, if the Jazz really want Hayward on their team, there is no way it won't happen.
The most any team could offer Hayward would be around $58 million for four years, and the Jazz have a lot of flexibility to work with. The risk wasn't very big from a financial standpoint. If Hayward proves that he is the player they believed in by taking him ninth-overall in the 2010 draft, then they are still getting a good deal.
Even if the Jazz wanted to stay close to the $50 million range, signing Hayward after a breakout year for what would amount to an extra $3 million per year would keep the Jazz comfortable with their decision.
This isn't a show of discomfort with Hayward as “the guy” in Utah but seems more about keeping their much-discussed cap flexibility open.
Gordon Hayward
Hayward was out looking to get his money. It is really hard to blame him. Al Jefferson was the face of the franchise last year and was making eight figures last year. If Hayward is the face, then he deserves a pay raise, but how much of a raise pushed this off the next year.
There were reports of just about everything from Hayward's camp. Small groups said that Hayward wanted a trade, wanted max money or even wanted less than what Favors got. The rumors were all over, but ultimately it sounds like the Jazz wanted to pay Hayward less than Hayward felt he was worth. There is nothing more to it than that.
There wasn't a giant deal discussed. Hayward still wants to wear a Jazz uniform. In the end, it is hard to put a value on a commodity that is fairly unknown.
Now it is up to Hayward to prove that he earns his money. At the end of the year, if he truly leads the Jazz, he will get all the money he wants and the Jazz will end up kicking themselves for not agreeing to a smaller deal.
Hayward is still an intriguing prospect and could be a perfect complement on a team looking to make a push into the playoffs. His best asset is his versatility. He can do a bit of everything well while he isn't spectacular in any one area.
Hayward's group might have tried to get a high deal right away knowing it could get the four-year, $58 million deal from any number of other teams and the Jazz would have to match.
The exact numbers thrown around aren't known, and the Jazz would be the last team to let something like that out, but Hayward's camp could have gone really high knowing there is a fallback option.
Ultimately this means that Hayward will get what he earns in Utah. There is a bit of risk involved, but he could win big if he proves himself worthy. The Jazz still own his bird rights, which means if he shows greatness they could reward him with a deal around $80 million.
What it means for the team
All in all this doesn't mean too much. Hayward has talked about it weighing on him a little, but now that it is over, he should move on.
The biggest drawback might be Hayward going out to get his money. He isn't a selfish player, sometimes to a fault, but he might decide that he needs to show off his skills to get his payday. This could be good or bad for Utah. He could take the team on his back and step up when the team needs him or he could go for glory and exclude his teammates.
Chances are he will just play his game. There are now 81 or more games separating new talks between the two sides. Most of the problems between the two can be fixed somewhere in that time. By the end of the year, Hayward's value will be a lot more clear.
It would be nice to have this done with. The Jazz have dealt with expiring contracts for the last two years. This time, it will be with a player they expect to become something special with the team.
