Everyone knows about the infamous Gordon Hayward-Utah Jazz fallout. For that reason, teams have to be wary about playing hardball with their restricted free agents. One of which is currently going on is Josh Giddey and the Chicago Bulls. While that situation is dragging itself out, it shouldn't be for too long, because not only did the Jazz pay for that with Hayward, but they did so not knowing of the late-bloomer he would become.
Pippen Ain't Easy's Andrew Hanlon compared to the two situations and how because the Jazz took too long with Hayward, that ultimately came back to bite them when Hayward skipped town three years after that.
What people forget about the Hayward situation is that the Jazz not proactively re-signing him in 2014 looks bad in hindsight because of the player he became. Back in 2014, he proved he was above average, but no one knew he was going to be a star.
Not only did he become one, but he became a franchise player when it was all said and done. Don't let his lack of accolades fool you. Anyone who watched Hayward during his last year with the Jazz could see what kind of player he had become. Because he was later snakebitten by the injury bug almost immediately after leaving the Jazz, that cut his perennial All-Star prime short.
Josh Giddey's improvement mid-season is why the Bulls can't take their chances
No one's saying Josh Giddey will follow Hayward's path, but no one's not saying that either. Especially after how he played after the All-Star break. From February 20th onward, and really just after the Bulls settled in following the trades they made at the All-Star break, Giddey exploded.
In 19 games, he averaged 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 9.3 assists while shooting 50% from the field and 45.7% from three. It'd be a stretch to suggest he played at an All-Star level, but it's nothing something that be brushed aside.
Giddey was a high lottery pick for a reason. The Thunder traded him last year only because he didn't fit with their core. He didn't exactly fit well with the Bulls at first because Zach LaVine had the lion's share of the touches. Once Giddey ran things, he looked the best he's ever been in the NBA.
It's a short sample size, but the Bulls really shouldn't mess around with this because the Jazz did with Hayward. Giddey proved not only that there is another gear in his game, but there could be another. Hayward didn't show that after Year 4, but it didn't take too long after that to show that he did, and then after proving how good he was at his best, the worst-case scenario happened to Utah.
Chicago shouldn't take that risk that Utah inadvertently did with Hayward. For anything else, they shouldn't have to think about what could have been down the line, like the Jazz have since Hayward's departure.