Gordon Hayward (No. 20)
Right off the bat, we’re going to check a couple of the awkward boxes in this discussion, beginning with a guy who some still consider public enemy No. 1 in Jazzland.
Facts are facts and, regardless of what you think of him as a person (I like him!), the fact is that Gordon Hayward did business in almost the worst way possible during his 2017 free agency. Thanks to Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, his departure and the way it happened didn’t send the team into a tailspin or anything, but it certainly could have.
Still, Hayward remains a home-grown talent who worked his way from being the West Willie guy to big-time status as an All-Star and the face of the franchise.
Despite his exodus, Hayward has longevity as a Jazzman, appearing in more than 500 games over seven seasons and, man, was he good or what?
In his final season in Utah, Hayward averaged 22 points, five boards and four assists per game while shooting 47 percent from the field and nearly 40 percent from deep. In doing so, he led the team to 50-plus wins, a postseason berth and a playoff series win.
I don’t know if public sentiment would ever allow it, Hayward’s No. 20 would not be out of place alongside some of the other retired numbers. He was the best player on the team over a multiple-year period and helped end a years-long playoff drought.