NBA free agency: Joe Ingles re-signing with Utah Jazz

Restricted free agent Joe Ingles will reportedly be heading back to the Utah Jazz on a massive four-year, $52 million extension.

It’s good to be Australian small forward Joe Ingles. Not only is he one of the best players from his country, he is one of the better players coming off the bench in the NBA. He successfully used the Orlando Magic as leverage in his restricted free agency to garner a huge return with the Utah Jazz.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, “Restricted free agent Joe Ingles is finalizing a deal to return to the Utah Jazz”. It’ll be a four-year contract extension worth $52 million. Will Ingles live up to the hype of this massive payday?

Ingles has spent the last three seasons in Salt Lake City. He averaged only 5.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 20.2 minutes per game with the Jazz, but his numbers did improve in 2016-17 in a larger role under head coach Quin Snyder.

Ingles averaged 7.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 24.0 minutes per game for the Northwest Division champions. He played in all 82 regular season games for the Jazz, making 45.2 percent of his field goals and a blistering 44.1 percent of his 3-point attempts.

While it is a little more than pricey to re-sign Ingles to that amount, he seems to be an excellent culture fit in Utah. He can spot start out on the wing for Snyder and be a go-to scorer coming off the bench.

Though he will be playing next to a great passer in recently acquired point guard Ricky Rubio, this reported deal for Ingles will only be judged on Gordon Hayward’s free agency decision. Should Hayward stick with the Jazz on another contract, then this deal for Ingles will be looked at favorably.

Next: NBA Free Agency Tracker 2017

However, should Hayward leave for a team like the Boston Celtics or the Miami Heat, Ingles’ new contract may be highly scrutinized if he doesn’t live up to higher expectations. Either way, Ingles is now a very rich man with great job security in Salt Lake City.