Gordon Hayward is exploring his options in free agency. While he does that, the Utah Jazz are busy making sure he’ll feel welcomed if he decides to return to his former home. Hayward took the first steps of his free agency marathon on Saturday when he visited the Miami Heat, who welcomed him to Miami with a photoshopped banner that featured him in a Heat jersey outside of their arena. The Boston Celtics are up soon as well, and they are planning a big presentation for the free agent as well.
But Utah isn’t giving up on Hayward just yet. In fact, they’re operating in a way that some might think could lure Hayward back to Salt Lake City. On Friday the team acquired Ricky Rubio, a player thought to be a perfect fit for playing with Hayward. And then there’s the move the Jazz made on Saturday, when they re-signed Joe Ingles.
Joe Ingles gets four years, $52 million to return to Jazz, I'm told
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) July 2, 2017
Ingles isn’t exactly a world-beater for the Jazz, but he is one of Hayward’s best friends on the team and a player who fits into what Utah does so well. He’s a savvy defender, a playmaker within the team’s offense, and a tremendous shooter form behind the arc.
There are also some more professional ties that Ingles and Hayward share.
Ingles is one of Gordon Hayward's closest friends on team, and shares Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports as an agent. https://t.co/vFNy2mQfLv
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2017
Whether it’s enough to beat out banners, nice weather and other fancy proposals is anyone’s guess. Maybe Hayward would enjoy his own personal museum like Blake Griffin got. These days, free agency truly is silly season in the NBA.
