After Gordon Hayward made the decision to leave Utah for the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, the Jazz are pivoting toward making an offer on Otto Porter, according to the Salt Lake Tribune’s Tony Jones.
Jazz might try to replace Gordon Hayward with Otto Porter. That’s not going to work
The Jazz would have to clear cap space to make an offer on Porter — an offer the Wizards will gladly match.
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Porter enters restricted free agency after his best season with the Washington Wizards. The 24-year-old forward averaged 13.4 points on 43.4 percent three-point shooting and could command multiple max offer sheets this summer. The Wizards reserve the right to match any competing offer on Porter to retain his services for the future, and they reportedly plan to do so.
Despite Hayward’s departure this summer, the Jazz would have to clear additional cap space to fit a max contract. Porter’s max contract with a new team will begin at $24.77 million for the 2017-18 season. The salary cap is $99.09 million this season, and Utah has just over $89 million committed to players.
The Jazz must have room for his salary available before making an offer. To even get in the ballpark, Utah would need to move the final year of Derrick Favors’ contract, worth $12 million. Teams would be more likely to take Favors’ expiring contract if Utah attaches a pick to the deal. The Jazz will also need to waive veteran forward Boris Diaw, whose $7.5 million salary is non-guaranteed next season.
Even if Utah was able to move Favors without taking salary back, then waive Diaw to create space for Porter’s max contract, the Wizards are expected to match any competing offer. That would leave the Jazz without two key players and on the outside looking in — yet again — for another free agent pursuit.
And if there’s anything worse than losing your star player, it’s losing more in pursuit of another.
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