The Utah Jazz have quietly been one of the most solid teams in the NBA this season and they continue to exhibit their sharp play through the latter parts of the campaign. They have secured themselves a 50 win season and a highly anticipated matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of this year’s upcoming postseason.
Much of the success the Jazz have come across this season has been thanks to their well-rounded twosome consisting of big man Rudy Gobert and wing Gordon Hayward. However, with Hayward scheduled to hit free agency this coming summer, Gobert has a pitch prepared to help make sure the Butler product stays put in Utah. Following from Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype:
For example, Gobert mentioned that he will try to persuade Hayward to re-sign with the Jazz when he hits unrestricted free agency this summer. When I asked him what he’ll tell the small forward when that time comes, Gobert doesn’t hesitate.
“I’m just going to ask him, ‘Do you want to win a championship?’” Gobert said. “I feel like with the way we’ve improved the last few years, since Quin [Snyder] got here, I don’t think it’d be a great decision to leave now. At the same time, I know sometimes there are personal decisions and I can’t really control any of that. But I know he likes to win. I know he likes it here in Utah, and his wife and kids like it here too. If he doesn’t want to live here anymore or there’s another city he wants to live in or he feels like he has a better chance to win a championship somewhere else, it’s his decision. But I’m going to remind him that I really want to win a championship and I think we can do it. If he stays, I think we’ll have chances [to win titles]. But it’s still going to be his decision at the end of the day.”
While Gordon Hayward was the one who earned the All-Star nod, Gobert has been an animal on the glass all year and is one of the lead candidates for the Defensive Player of the Year Award alongside the likes of Kawhi Leonard and Draymond Green. Considering Hayward’s elite offensive repertoire packaged with Gobert’s ability to impose his will in the lane, many label the Jazz as a dark horse candidate to shake things up in the Western Conference playoff picture.
Even if Utah isn’t able to break through and make a run this year, their future is bright. With Hayward only being 27 years old and Gobert 24, the two are both ready to hit the primes of their careers and the Jazz could become perennial contenders if they continue to build. That’s where Gobert’s pitch comes into play, as retaining Hayward this summer is the first and most pivotal step towards building a championship contender.
With suitors such as the Boston Celtics expected to be pushing hard for Gordon Hayward’s services, this offseason has the potential to be a franchise defining one for the Utah Jazz.
