SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Jazz swingman Gordon Hayward has been through a huge summer, in every sense of the imagination.

Hayward’s life took a huge personal upgrade by getting married, and his career took a massive upgrade by getting an invitation to try out for the USA National Team that will compete in the World Cup of basketball next month. Topping it all, though, Hayward’s pocketbook has taken the biggest upgrade as he earned a max-contract from the Jazz after they matched an offer from the Charlotte Hornets.

Regardless of how fans feel about Hayward, his numbers, while down last season, demonstrate that he deserved to be a man in demand around the NBA. He’s a multidimensional player who averaged 16.2 points a game, while also grabbing 5.2 assists and 5.1 rebounds. He’s a player that USA basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski said has a valid chance to make the team’s roster this summer, meaning he’s at the very least a contender for the Olympic roster in 2016.

Now, did Utah overpay him? That’s a story for another day, but the offers show that Hayward is a man who is good enough to have options.

For years, Jazz fans have lamented how no big name ever comes to Utah; instead, all of the big names leave at their first opportunity. But Hayward, despite being a player who was courted by multiple teams, is staying in Utah. Yes, he had to because Jazz management matched Charlotte’s offer, but savor the fact that he is staying nonetheless. Look for the positive in the situation, and look for the positives in comments Hayward made about his staying in Utah.

#UJ

On a blog post made to his website, Hayward said he is thankful the Jazz decided to match the Hornets’ offer.

“I’m excited about coming back to Utah,” said Hayward, who was drafted by the Jazz out of Butler in 2010. “I’m really happy that the Jazz believed in me, and were able to match the offer. It really means a lot to me because they didn’t have to do that, but they chose to.”

Jazz fans soured a tad on Hayward as the season wore on last year, and blamed much of the offensive inefficiency on him not being able to be a featured scorer. However, it’s time for fans to lay down their arms and be thankful Hayward is still with the team. Don’t look at him anymore as a player who can’t; instead, look at him as a player who might have a new beginning here with the Jazz, and as someone who would have been good somewhere else had Utah not decided to keep him around.

Fans have a question of whether Hayward is worth the money, and it’s a valid question. There deserve to be questions about a player who appeared to be non-existent at times last season. But Hayward addressed how much not having a guaranteed contract distracted him as the season went on.

“Signing my contract to return to the Jazz was a big sigh of relief for me,” Hayward noted. “There were so many people talking about it last year, when we didn’t get the extension done. It was all really up in the air. I didn’t really know where I’d end up.”

Related:

Big money brings big responsibility for Hayward

All of us believe that money shouldn't change people, but this case is an exception. Now that he's filthy rich, Gordon Hayward had better not be the same.

Now, with the Jazz moving in an entirely new direction, it’s important for Hayward to use the new contract situation to integrate himself into the offense. Throughout last season, he appeared to be at his best when he was playing in a more wide-open system that emphasized stretching the floor at any opportunity. With Quin Snyder running the show, Hayward’s multidimensional skills will be valued as his ability to rebound the ball, pass it down court to a distributor and then finish the ball as a trailer running down the floor will be needed.

At this point of his career, it’s pretty evident what skills Hayward has and which ones he struggles with, but wait to give judgment on him until he has an entire season to work with Snyder. Instead, when thinking of judging his entire second contract in the first five games of the upcoming season, think of what a player of his caliber said about the franchise that you, the fans, treasure so dearly.

“Everybody around the team knows the tradition, so there’s a legacy to uphold,” he said. “I take a lot of pride in that every time I put on the jersey. You’ve got to take pride in your organization and your franchise. Utah is definitely one that’s easy to take pride in.”

See, Jazz fans, somebody who matters in the NBA actually loves you. So, you should love him back, unconditionally. Love him for his strengths, like his perimeter defense; love him for his faults, like consistent shooting from distance. Just love him, if for no other reason than he loves you, the fans.

Related topics