Joe Ingles
In what is one of the cooler “rags to riches” stories in the NBA, the Utah Jazz quickly came to an agreement with restricted free agent Joe Ingles this week as he agreed to a four-year, $52 million deal. Some reports had surfaced that Ingles would be in for an even larger offer of four years, $60 million, but the Jazz were able to skip any potential back and forth and simply lock in their 3-and-D specialist with zero drama.
This move came as little surprise as it was evident from the offseason’s onset that Ingles was a priority for the Jazz. He went from a largely forgotten fourth wing in the rotation to an effective 3-and-D guy and he figures to be a key part of Utah’s success moving forward.
Joe Ingles: 'could not be happier to be in Utah'https://t.co/a9ihwbmcWT pic.twitter.com/iTlYIipI1r
— Deseret News Sports (@desnewssports) July 3, 2017
Renae Ingles, who's married to Jazz wing Joe Ingles, just posted this adorable photo with a message of gratitude. pic.twitter.com/RTVlQlqm9n
— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) July 3, 2017
All signs indicate that Joe Ingles is absolutely ecstatic with the move and has loved his time in Utah. It’s worth noting that Ingles is very close friends with Gordon Hayward and that the two also share an agent. Hopefully the culmination of those facts will lead to good things and Ingles’ free agent re-signing will end up being a precursor for Hayward following suit.
Regardless of how that turns out, however, it’s good to see a fan and locker room favorite as well as a great overall guy in Joe Ingles return to the team with a well-deserved reward.