Jazz fans launch “STAYWARD” campaign for Gordon Hayward

On the brink of the NBA playoffs, Jazz fans are already looking ahead to NBA free agency for All-Star Gordon Hayward.

The Utah Jazz are currently sporting a record of 48-30, and sitting at the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. It has been their best season as a team since 2009-10 where they went 53-29, and won the Northwest Division.

One of the vital cogs on this Jazz squad has been NBA All-Star forward, Gordon Hayward, who has enjoyed a career-year averaging 21.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. While the Jazz are focusing on their potential first round matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, their fans are already looking ahead towards NBA free agency.

Hayward signed a four-year deal back in 2014, but has the option to opt out after the 2016-17 season, signing a max deal with the Jazz, or possibly elsewhere. If you have been taking notice, you’ll see that it is a good time to be an NBA free agent in this day and age. Hayward will definitely be looking to get big money somewhere.

Recently, Jazz fans created a GoFundMe account to purchase a billboard reading “STAYWARD”. The gesture clearly resonated with the All-Star forward in a positive way. You can see the clip below.

So far, the account has raised over $5,000, and it was reported that the remaining funds would be allocated to cancer research. We have seen other fan bases in the past create campaigns in order to keep their favorite players, but we have not seen anything quite like this before.

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Hayward clearly has some thinking to do this offseason, as he will most likely have the option to go almost anywhere he pleases. It’s the little gestures that make the biggest difference sometimes, and the Utah fans have shown Hayward how much he means to them, their team and their city.