There has been plenty of speculation that Gordon Hayward will leave Utah this summer as a free agent, but one roster move the Jazz made last week could give the team a much better shot at re-signing him.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne is reporting that Hayward told the Jazz he wants to play with Ricky Rubio, whom the team recently traded a first-round pick to acquire from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
For those reading tea leaves on Gordon Hayward, word is he told Jazz he wanted Rubio & would love to play w/ him
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 3, 2017
Rubio, Gobert and Ingles at presentation today in San Diego along with Dennis Lindsay, Quinn Snyder and Steve Starks and Gail Miller.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 3, 2017
The Jazz almost certainly made a move to get Rubio with re-signing Hayward in mind, and it sounds like there’s a good chance it could work. Hayward has already met with the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat and has players engaging in hilarious emoji battles over him, but the Jazz have the ability to offer him more money.
Hayward, 27, averaged a career high 21.9 points per game last year. The Jazz finished 51-31 last season and won a playoff series for the first time since 2010, but losing Hayward would be a major blow to their future prospects.
