Jazz conclude meeting with Gordon Hayward, Utah awaits his decision

The Jazz have concluded their meeting with Gordon Hayward on Monday, and they now await his decision after their 3-hour sales pitch.

Gordon Hayward is the biggest fish left on the free agent market. The Jazz will have to fend off a serious push from the Celtics and 76ers to retain their star player

After a meeting with Dennis Lindsey, Quin Snyder, Rudy Gobert, Ricky Rubio and others, it’s time to wait and see where Hayward wants to play. Wherever Hayward decides to ply his trade, it will change the fate of one lucky franchise.

Adrian Wojnarowski reported the details of the Jazz meeting:

There are a ton of conspiracy theories than can be construed, but no one knows what to make of things. Is it odd that Hayward visited Boston and Miami but met with the Jazz in San Diego instead of Utah? Is it a coincidence that Brad Stevens, his former college coach, was the one to pick up Hayward at the Logan airport in Boston? Maybe it’s odd that Miami already had a design to Photoshop Hayward in a Heat jersey. Nevertheless, each franchise has to be sitting on pins and needles at this point.

With Paul George, Jimmy Butler, Paul Millsap and others going from the East to the West, Hayward could opt to go East. The path to the NBA Finals seems the easiest in Boston, not to mention the fact that he has a history with Brad Stevens. Maybe Hayward is just simply sick of the weather in Utah and wants to live in Miami. At this stage, no one knows what is going to happen.

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Utah does hold the financial advantage, however with the ability to offer a fifth year. Then again, that advantage can be whipped away if Hayward takes a three-year deal with the opportunity to enter a new contract threshold as a 10-year NBA veteran.