Should the Utah Jazz bring Gordon Hayward this season?

The Utah Jazz are a team that may try and compete this year, and if they do, should they go after Gordon Hayward?

The Utah Jazz have a very interesting roster at the moment. Right now they’re swarmed with point guards, power forwards, and big men as a whole. The team truthfully only has one true small forward, Italy’s Simone Fontecchio. He’s currently listed on EPSN.com as a backup to Lauri Markkanen, a more natural power forward. Also backing up Markkanen is Talen Horton-Tucker, who’s barely 6’2. There’s also Brice Sensabaugh, a true but slow small forward who continues to rehab from off-season knee surgery.

The rookie was allegedly “cleared” to return in June, but had not returned to activity by July. It’s pretty clear that his recovery isn’t on track and while that may not end up being an issue as we go into training camp, it may affect his ability to make an impact. At least early in the season, if not for an entire season.

Knee injuries are not the career enders they used to be but they do still take a while to fully heal. Perfect example, look at Ricky Rubio’s return this past season. He never looked right when he came back for the Cleveland Cavaliers, so it’s possible that Sensabaugh may not be nearly ready to go this season.

Hence why the idea of Gordon Hayward coming in isn’t a bad one. Hayward’s arrival would likely mean the end of the tenures of Horton-Tucker and backup big Kelly Olynyk, but that may not be the worst thing. With John Collins and now Omer Yurtseven on the roster, they no longer need Olynyk, so a trade makes sense.

Hayward can then move Markkanen back to the four, Collins comes off the bench as the sixth man gets 28-30 minutes a game, and the Jazz gets a reliable shooter. Not only that, however, but Hayward’s arrival would also fortify the offense.

The Jazz right now don’t have a lot of great passers, which is something Hayward can be for the team. Now, the move only makes sense if you’re sure the Jazz are a team in contention to push for the playoffs. You’re really not giving up much in a trade, likely just Horton-Tucker, Olynyk, and Fontecchio.

Plus you can likely get back J.T. Thor and a second from the Hornets. So it makes sense to do the move. After all, at 33, Hawyard is still a guy who can still put up per-game stats of 15 points, four rebounds and four assists a night. And that was on a bad Hornets team.

Imagine what the former franchise face can do back home in Utah.