Utah Jazz: 5 Potential SF Replacements if Hayward Leaves as Free Agent

With Gordon Hayward’s impending free agency looming over this season, there’s a few options the Utah Jazz should consider in case they end up having to seek out a potential replacement.

It’s the topic that no Utah Jazz fan wants to even think about, let alone talk about. Nevertheless, there’s no avoiding the subject. At the end of the season, the Utah Jazz’s star small forward Gordon Hayward will be an unrestricted free agent and the possibility exists that he will test the waters and seek a new home elsewhere in the league.

Now let me begin by saying, I absolutely do not want this to happen. Hayward has been playing the best ball of his career so far this season and we’ve still only been able to watch him play seven games with a true starting point guard at his side. He’s a great fit for this team both skill-wise and attitude-wise and the team would take a seriously hit if he left.

And while it may seem a little early to be speculating about his potential departure from the Jazz, the recent incident involving the Boston Celtics – a team Hayward has often been connected to due to his past with head coach Brad Stevens – and Jae Crowder has caused this subject to become a bit more newsworthy in recent days.

For a full recap on all that went down in between Crowder and Hayward, be sure to check out the coverage on the matter from our very own Ryan Aston. To summarize, Celtics fans excited about the rumor of Hayward potentially joining their squad cheered for him when the Jazz were in town earlier this week and Crowder, the Celtics starting small forward, took significant offense to it.

Yet regardless of whether the Hayward-to-Boston rumors have any weight behind them or are just a nice feel-good story of a player reuniting with his former coach, you can bet that the Celtics as well as just about every team across the league have had their eyes on Hayward this season.

It’s pretty much common knowledge that he will hit the open market this summer and given the numbers he’s putting up this season – 22.4 points, 45.3 field goal percentage, 36.5 three-point percentage, 6.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game – he’s definitely catching several teams’ attention.

And while Hayward has said he wants to be in the spot where he has the best chance to win and you can bet the Jazz will do everything in their power to convince him to stay, the NBA can be a cruel league to its fans and Hayward’s departure from the Jazz is certainly a possibility.

So while we hope that it won’t happen, here’s a list of five small forwards who the Jazz should definitely keep their eyes on should Hayward decide to seek greener pastures.

While a couple of the guys on this list might be a bit unrealistic, with each of them there’s at least one compelling reason why Utah should consider them as a possible replacement for Gordon Hayward.