Prior to Gordon Hayward deciding to leave the Utah Jazz in free agency for the Boston Celtics, the team acquired Ricky Rubio from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

This move was perceived as being made to appease Hayward in an effort to re-sign him. During a recent interview with Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the All-Star forward brought clarity to how much of an impact the acquisition of Rubio made in his decision-making process, and how big of a role he played in the move.

“It kind of was a difficult situation because I don't want to be somebody that says, ‘You go get this player and I'm 100 percent in. If you trade for so and so, you get rid of this guy, you go get him.' … I didn't want to make demands because I didn't know if I was going to end up there. It wasn't a sure thing. I had told them I wanted to check out these other teams, and that being said, they asked me, ‘How do you feel about these guys?' and I would tell them and Ricky was a guy that was high on my list.

“I think he's an underrated point guard and can really pass the ball and does a lot of things well, shot the ball well toward the end of last season, too. I think I was actually in Miami when I saw the trade happened. It was a step in the right direction for the Jazz. … It was a fine line of ‘I don’t want to sit here and make demands and guarantee I'm going to come back' or anything like that, but at the same time I thought there was a chance I would be back in Utah, so I would have loved to play with Ricky.”

Article Continues Below
More Utah Jazz News
Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy alongside a shadowy player in an Utah Jazz jersey, NBA Draft pick
Utah Jazz’s perfect outcome for No. 5 pick in 2025 NBA DraftDavid Yapkowitz ·
Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) steals the ball from Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) during the second quarter at Delta Center.
Bill Simmons brainstorms Paul George for Lauri Markkanen 76ers-Jazz tradePreston Byers ·
Utah Jazz CEO Danny Ainge looks on before the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Delta Center. Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
NBA rumors: Jazz already talking with fellow lottery team on tradeJake Faigus ·
Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (2) reacts after a basket with forward Brice Sensabaugh (28) against the Atlanta Hawks in the third quarter at State Farm Arena.
New Jazz executive shuts down tanking narrativeBenedetto Vitale ·
Danny Ainge best NBA trade deadline assets
Jazz hire Danny Ainge’s son to lead front officeMalik Brown ·
knicks, mitchell robinson
1 player New York Knicks must trade in 2025 NBA offseasonGarrett Kerman ·

The Jazz's decision to bring Rubio aboard was largely made to convince Hayward to re-sign with the team. He has a strong level of respect and admiration for the type of player that the 26-year-old has shown to be in his first six years in the league.

Rubio has proven to be more than capable passer coming off his best individual season where he averaged career highs of 11.1 points and 9.1 assists per game. He finished ranked fifth in the league in assists and fourth in assists/turnover ratio (3.5-to-1).

The addition of Rubio was a step in the right direction, but clearly it wasn't enough to sway Hayward to fully commit to returning to the Jazz. When it came down to it, the Celtics just offered him the best chance to win moving forward.