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

Paul George

OK, I know what you’re thinking and yes you’re right, this one is likely the biggest long shot of the bunch but for the sake of getting hypothetical, optimistic or whatever you’d like to call it, just bear with me.

After his breakout performance in the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals, Paul George has been a consistently solid contributor for the Pacers and a definite All-Star in the East. Of course he underwent a major setback after suffering a broken leg in the summer of 2014, but last year he had his best year yet.

With averages of 23.1 points, seven rebounds, 4.1 assists and nearly two steals per game, George was a force to be reckoned with on both ends of the floor. He got off to a slightly slower start this season due largely to a nagging ankle injury, but is looking much better of late as he’s averaging 28.6 points per game over his last five contests.

And while his field goal shooting leaves a little to be desired, he’s an excellent scorer, elite defender and has been an absolute monster in clutch situations this year.

Why it Would Work

While this is a long shot no matter what way you look at it, it was actually a bit more realistic even just last week given that the Pacers are now 19-18 and riding a four-game winning streak whereas before they were struggling mightily. Just before the start of the new year, Indiana had looked dismal and Paul George admitted that this season had been one of the most frustrating he’d ever been apart of.

Of course this declaration sent some Pacers fans into a frenzy as worries that George was unhappy and would leave Indiana once he was a free agent went wild. Thus it has provoked some to offer the opinion that the Pacers should move Paul George while he has value so that Indiana can also get something in return before he leaves them empty-handed.

It doesn’t seem likely that team president Larry Bird would be so willing to part with his star player, but the former Celtic has done some pretty puzzling things with the team of late so perhaps it’s not outside the realm of possibilities.

If he were to decide at the end of the season that he didn’t like the direction the team was going and that it was time to strip the Pacers down, trade Paul George while his stock is high and instead rebuild around Myles Turner, then Utah would need to be banging down the door with trade offers to bring in George as a replacement for Hayward.

As a member of the Jazz, Paul George would likely feel right at home alongside former running mate George Hill. And although Utah is rarely considered a top destination for NBA players, George has played his whole career for a small market Indiana team and has given nothing but praise to the team, organization and the city while he’s been there, publicly expressing his loyalty on several occasions.

PG would obviously fill in right where Hayward left off as the go-to guy, but as a replacement would boast more athleticism, better shot-creating ability and a more accurate three-point shot. While Hayward is still trying to fully prove that he can be the kind of player who can take over a game and perform in the clutch, George has already established himself as just that kind of player.

So on the odd chance that Bird decided to disband his Pacers squad and the Jazz became the lucky team that had the right assets to trade in return, finding a fit for Paul George on the roster likely wouldn’t be a problem at all.

Why it Wouldn’t Work

While acquiring a guy like Paul George to replace Gordon Hayward would be the absolute dream back-up plan, it’s also not a very realistic one. Bird and the Pacers organization have made every indication that they intend to keep George for as long as possible.

With no plans to move their star small forward, it doesn’t look like Utah would have any chance of prying him away as a potential Gordon Hayward replacement.

Perhaps George’s frustration continues and eventually he decides to look elsewhere in free agency, but he wouldn’t be able to do so until after the 2017-18 season (assuming he opts out of his player option) and Hayward’s decision and possible replacement will have been decided by then.

If Utah is unable to find a long-term replacement right away, perhaps a combination of George Hill’s presence and a winning situation would be enough to woo Paul George a year after Hayward’s departure, but we’re going way too far down too distant of a road to even begin to theorizing that.

While replacing a departing Gordon Hayward with a three-time All-Star is a nice thought, unless the slim possibility occurs where the Pacers decide to completely rebuild, it’s likely nothing more than a dream situation.

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And while it’s always entertaining to speculate about the future of this Jazz team, to reiterate, hopefully none of these situations will even ever have to be considered. With how well Gordon Hayward has been playing this year and (as you’ve hopefully picked up by reading these scenarios) how hard it would be to realistically replace him, the hope is that at the end of the day, Hayward simply decides to stay put.

He has definitely made a name for himself in Utah and while the Jazz have a ways to go still before becoming a true contender, Hayward is currently in a good situation as the organization is truly committed to him and building a winning team around him.

Of course he’ll have a lot to consider when he makes his final decision, and at the end of the day, regardless of what the Jazz or any other team offers him, he’ll do what he feels is best for him.

And if what he feels is best is to join up with another team, then all I can say is that, whether it ends up being one of the guys I mentioned or not, I hope that Dennis Lindsey and Co. have a good contingent plan for tracking down a potential replacement.

Because Gordon Hayward will be hard to replace.

All stats courtesy of NBA.com