Only hours after losing their prized talisman to the Boston Celtics during free agency, the Utah Jazz will put gears in motion to pursue free agent forward Rudy Gay as a candidate to fill Gordon Hayward‘s spot at small forward, according to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders via Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype.

The organization had their eyes set on swingman Otto Porter, but would not be able to muster the max contract he received from the Brooklyn Nets — making them a long shot for his services from the get-go.

Gay played only 30 games after suffering a season-ending achilles injury, putting up 18.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.5 steals during his limited run in his third season with the Sacramento Kings.

The 6-foot-8 swingman had grown disgruntled with the organization since he got there, enduring years of dysfunction and lack of interest in his three-year, $40 million contract.

Gay is now the best option at small forward after Porter, and the Jazz will have to be willing to shell out the right amount of bills to merit his services, as the 30-year-old is looking for a long-term contract.

If the Jazz miss out on him, Utah could trot a two-three combo with Rodney Hood and Joe Ingles, but one that would lack the athleticism and versatility necessary to bring the team to any sort of prominence.