Shortly following his retirement, Gordon Hayward has begun to look back on his NBA career. Even though he had arguably the most unpleasant exit from the Utah Jazz, he still looks back pretty fondly on his time with the team.
In an interview with Jazz podcaster JP Chunga, Hayward had nothing but nice things to say about his time in Utah. He praised the fanbase for how loyal they were, even back when he played for subpar Jazz teams.
"I mean that was one of the things that was so cool about the Jazz,,,"@jp_chunga sat down with @gordonhayward to reflect on his incredible career in the league and his time with the Jazz. Listen to #RoundballRoundup wherever you get your podcasts or watch now on YouTube 📺⤵️
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) August 21, 2024
In that same interview, Hayward admitted that the most fun he'd had throughout his NBA career was his last year in Utah when he finally became an NBA star.
Evidently, despite the fanbase booing him every chance they've gotten from 2017 onward, there are no hard feelings from his side of things. Since he had nothing but positive things to say about his time with the Jazz, his words have begged a question: Is it time for the fans to forgive Hayward after what happened?
Cutting right to the chase, no.
Hayward's time with the Jazz should be cherished, but fans are justified not to forgive him
Hayward's legacy with the Jazz is complicated because as impressive as his evolution was in Utah, he left the team on terrible terms, and it went beyond him simply departing.
Sure, it was heartbreaking enough that he left the Jazz, which Hayward admitted in this interview was a hard decision to make, but the fashion in which he left only made things worse. Because Hayward took his sweet time to make a decision, he, by extension, caused the Jazz to lose their backup options in the process.
He ultimately ruined all of their future plans by waiting as long as he did to choose to leave the Jazz. Even if Utah made out surprisingly okay following his departure - which no one saw coming - he screwed them over nonetheless.
In fact, looking back at what happened after Hayward left the Jazz, it's harder not to be even more frustrated knowing what could have been. The Donovan Mitchell-Rudy Gobert Jazz teams were consistently good, but it felt like they were missing one last piece of a title team, and it's hard not to think that said piece was Hayward.
There's a very solid chance he may have gotten his number retired in Utah had he stayed to form what could have been the best Jazz team since the Stockton/Malone days. Knowing he chose otherwise when that was possibility makes it sting even more.
All of that being said, while Jazz fans are justified to still be mad at him for what transpired, they can still look back on the development story he was and be amazed at how far he came along. Things ended between the two sides about as disastrously as possible, but that doesn't undo his impact on helping the Jazz re-discover themselves as a winner in the 2010s.
That much should not be taken away from Hayward because he earned it. However, his praise for the Jazz can't erase the damage he had done on that fateful fourth of July.
Jazz fans have let bygones be bygones with other stars who left in the past, but knowing the fashion in which Hayward left, it will take a lot more for him to be in their good graces again.