The Utah Jazz are flying high. Back in the NBA playoffs for the first time in five years, the Jazz won their first playoff series since 2010 on Sunday. In doing so, Utah sent the L.A. Clippers careening into a pivotal summer filled with uncertainty and a feeling of unavoidable doom.
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The Jazz did it behind Gordon Hayward, who made the All-Star team for the first time this year. In a series in which Rudy Gobert battled injury and foul trouble, Hayward led the way, averaging 24 points and seven rebounds while shooting 45 percent on threes. (In Hayward’s only previous playoff appearance, he shot 18 percent over four games. This was a nice course correction.)
In winning the series, Hayward and the Jazz met their high expectations coming into the season. They won 50 games (a huge improvement), made the playoffs, and won a series. Utah is a pure NBA bright spot: For the first time in years, the Jazz are a young, quite exciting team that matters and, more importantly, wins.
For now.
George Hill, a point guard who played a huge role in bringing Utah along as well as in beating the Clippers, will be a free agent. Hill and the Jazz couldn’t agree on an extension and he’s the type of player for whom there will definitely be sharp disagreements about his worth. At age 30, he’ll be looking to cash in for his first and possibly last mega-contract. (He’s finishing out a five-year, $40 million deal now, his first off his late first rookie scale contract.) There’s a real possibility that in the rush of early July, the Jazz lose Hill.
This summer is all about Hayward, who will almost certainly opt out of his contract to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career. As a 27-year-old All-Star, he’s a max player eligible to sign for $30 million in Year 1 of a contract. Utah will surely fork that over, though in grand Spurs Familia tradition, it might come with a presentation on why taking less would help the Jazz compete with the elite teams. (Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey is an R.C. Buford disciple.)
Reassured by a second playoff berth and a series win, Hayward could simply re-sign with the Jazz for a long-term deal, allowing Utah to run it back and try to stay on an upward path. With young players like Alec Burks, Rodney Hood, Trey Lyles, Dante Exum, and Gobert still improving, the future would be bright.
But if Hayward leaves, a gaping hole in Utah’s offense opens up. The Jazz could end up right back in no man’s land.
This is all drama for another day. The Jazz are still quite alive, though the mighty Warriors intend to squash any hope Utah holds of going deeper into the playoffs. The Jazz are great, but the Warriors are incredible, and few believe Utah can or will win this series.
In two weeks or so, as Utah reflects on a plan gone right and a dream season, the uncertain future will come into view. Until it’s resolved, we cannot count on the Jazz remaining a fixture at the top of the West. Until Hayward and Hill make decisions, we can’t rely on Utah.
Such is the cruelty of sports. You get a glimpse at success, you think you can grab onto it and hold tight, and it slips away. Perhaps Utah will be able to hang onto it. Perhaps not. In two months’ time, the Jazz will be subject to the whims of a 27-year-old millionaire. Such is life in the NBA.
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Reading the tea leaves on Hayward seems impossible. All indications suggest being in a winning situation is what matters. Utah is winning now, but it’s been a long seven years. As a restricted free agent in 2014, Hayward met with several teams, eventually signing an offer sheet with Charlotte. (LeBron James’ decision to return to Cleveland derailed Hayward’s Cavaliers recruitment.) Utah matched the offer sheet — they likely would have matched a Cleveland offer, too — and Hayward rejoined the Jazz.
But this is different. If Hayward takes a meeting somewhere else and likes what he finds, all Utah can do is make their case. Hayward can actually leave this time. He’s a Midwestern guy with two young children and a side gig as an eSports entrepreneur. Is Utah the best place for him? It might be. What about Boston, where he can reconnect with his college coach Brad Stevens? Or his home state of Indiana? Or any of the major cities that will chase him in July?
Strange things happen when the pressure ramps up and decisions have to be made. Sunday’s victory was emphatic, important, and emotional for Hayward and the Jazz. How strong will it resonate on in the dark hours of the morning of July 1? How intrigued will Hayward be when other GMs make their pitches? Only time can tell.
That, and not Sunday’s win, will decide how long the Jazz stick around. For now, Utah can only enjoy what’s guaranteed: at least four more games. Nothing after that is promised.
