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The Utah Jazz are reportedly disappointed not only with talisman Gordon Hayward‘s departure, but also with the way he and his camp handled his exit from Salt Lake City.
From July 4 at 11:17 p.m. PT, when news of his preferred destination was announced by ESPN's Chris Haynes to 4:45 p.m. later that afternoon when his decision was finally announced through his own accord through The Players' Tribune, the Jazz were on their toes, awaiting a decision that had reportedly been made, but then taken back.
In that timespan, teams entertained some others at the small forward position, including Washington Wizards restricted free agent Otto Porter, who agreed to sign an offer sheet from the Brooklyn Nets only two hours after Hayward had made his “official” decision.
Jazz have gone quiet, but source tells me team is highly disappointed with the manner in which Hayward handle his exit. I'm told Jazz …
— Spence Checketts (@spencechecketts) July 6, 2017
Had as many as "three options" they were waiting to seriously explore yesterday (including Otto Potter) but were forced to wait on Hayward.
— Spence Checketts (@spencechecketts) July 6, 2017
Perhaps the strongest sign of disappointment came from owner Dennis Lindsey himself, who was adamant on changing the topic when it came to speak about his former star, characterizing his exit as “bizarre.”
Dennis Lindsey, asked if he was comfortable at how Hayward handled departure: “That may be a conversation for a later date, how about that?"
— Scott Howard-Cooper (@SHowardCooper) July 6, 2017
“Bizarre,” Lindsey said of waiting Tuesday for the final word. "There’s probably a few adjectives there. I’ll let you guys describe that.”
— Scott Howard-Cooper (@SHowardCooper) July 6, 2017
Lindsey said he has not talked to Hayward since the decision. Only texts. Unclear if Hayward is ducking or Jazz don’t want the conversation.
— Scott Howard-Cooper (@SHowardCooper) July 6, 2017
The Jazz had shown the utmost class with everyone from the top down, showering Hayward with praise for his time in Salt Lake City, but internally have started to begrudge the matter in which events took place — costing them a five-and-a-half-hour window they could have spent looking at ways to steer the franchise into a new direction and reload with a decent-caliber free agent.
