NBA Free Agency: Rudy Gobert’s emoji game is strong and pro-Gordon Hayward
By John Buhler
Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tweeted out some emojis after Joe Ingles signed his extension with the club. Is he sending secret messages to Gordon Hayward?
The Utah Jazz might be on the cusp of something great with their core. Or not, but they did win they Northwest Division last year and reach the Western Conference semifinals. So what if they got swept by the Golden State Warriors? That happens to most teams anyway. They’ve got Rudy Gobert, Joe Ingles and recently acquired point guard Ricky Rubio. If they can just keep Gordon Hayward, they might just do it.
Of course, Hayward has a huge decision to make in his unrestricted free agency. He spent the last seven years in Salt Lake City after being drafted out of Butler University in 2010. Hayward will likely choose between the Jazz, the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat in his free agency. What should he do?
Well, Gobert has his own thoughts on the dilemma. Ingles just re-signed a four-year extension worth $52 million to come back to the Jazz. He is considered to be Hayward’s best friend on the team. Gobert is considered to be the second-best player on the Jazz after Hayward. So naturally, he went to Twitter and tweeted out these six emojis.
https://twitter.com/rudygobert27/status/881336694753984512
Those emojis are petty, yet effective. They are in this order: a palm tree, a trash can, a shamrock, a pile of poop, a saxophone and a trophy. What on Planet Earth could this all mean?
The palm tree represents Miami. Gobert thinks the Heat are trash. The shamrock represents the Celtics. Gobert thinks Boston is a waste of time. Finally, the saxophone obviously represents the Jazz. The trophy is obvious: a shot at winning the Larry O’Brien Trophy one day as NBA champions.
Next: NBA Free Agency Tracker 2017
Is Gobert getting a little ahead of himself? Absolutely, but this is NBA free agency and it is important for the emoji game to be strong, if it ultimately comes down to it. Hayward’s free agency will be talked about ad nauseam until he signs with one of those three suitors.