SALT LAKE CITY – Just days after his retirement, Gordon Hayward has once again become a hot topic for Utah Jazz fans.
In an interview with Jazz podcast host JP Chunga, Hayward discussed his decision to leave the team for the Boston Celtics at the peak of his career, which led fans to question his place in team history.
“It was really hard to make a decision, to choose, and I was torn until the last minute I made my decision,” Hayward said.
“I mean that was one of the things that was so cool about Jazz,”@jp_chunga sat down with @gordonhayward to reflect on his incredible career in the league and his time with the Jazz. Listen #RoundballRoundup wherever you get your podcasts or watch now on YouTube 📺⤵️
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) August 21, 2024
Why are jazz fans angry at Hayward?
The many problems faced by Jazz fans contributed to the pain of Hayward’s departure.
The organization had built the roster around the Butler product, highlighting the forward as the team’s main man.
Hayward had just played in his first All-Star Game, seven years into his career with the Jazz.
The team had gambled on Hayward several times, first selecting him with a top-10 pick in the 2010 NBA draft and then offering him a max contract after a good, but far from great, fourth season in the NBA.
Gordon Hayward scores 27 points as @utahjazz They beat the Clippers 96-92 to take a 3-2 series lead. pic.twitter.com/nGtFbHsAhv
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 26, 2017
His relationship with head coach Quin Snyder seemed like the perfect pairing to lead the Jazz back to relevance after missing the playoffs for four straight years.
And Hayward seemed like an unlikely candidate to abandon the Jazz for a bigger market.
If a neglected family man from a small town in Brownsburg, Indiana, couldn’t be happy as a star in Utah, why would fans believe a player could be happy here?
Of course, no one could have predicted how quickly Hayward and the Jazz’s fortunes would turn after his departure.
The forward suffered a career-changing ankle injury just minutes after joining the Celtics, while the Jazz unknowingly had the next face of the franchise in Donovan Mitchell already on the roster.
Mitchell would become a multiple All-Star in Utah while Hayward would never again average more than 20 points per game in the last seven years of his career.
“It’s hard to look back and say, ‘What if?'” Hayward acknowledged after choosing Boston over the Jazz and Miami Heat.
Will jazz fans welcome the return of Gordon Hayward?
Hayward is far from the only Jazz player to have had an unfortunate departure from the team.
A feud between head coach Frank Layden and Adrian Dantley saw the All-Star traded to the Detroit Pistons midway through his career.
Deron Williams was also sent to the New Jersey Nets after a confrontation led to the abrupt retirement of coach Jerry Sloan.
Despite their departures, Jazz fans welcomed the return of both players with open arms.
Did you miss last night’s premiere??? 𝙰𝙵 …
Note Worthy will premiere on JAZZ+ tomorrow, August 12th at 5pm MT 🗓️ and on YouTube Tuesday, August 13th at 5pm MT 🗓️#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/zXSb8mFyhh
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) August 12, 2024
But there is a key difference between these divorces and Hayward’s.
The Jazz opted to trade Dantley and Williams, while Hayward opted to leave Utah.
Hayward’s appearance on the Roundball Roundup podcast is a notable sign that he’s ready to reconcile his past with the state, but do fans want him back?
The organization has been littered with All-Stars since his early days in New Orleans, but few alumni still hold a spot within the organization, leaving a void that Hayward could ideally fill.
Pete Maravich died long before he had time to be fully appreciated in retirement.
Related: Gordon Hayward Retires After 14 Years in NBA
Dantley makes occasional appearances, but they are rare.
John Stockton and Karl Malone are the best players in franchise history, but both prefer to avoid the spotlight in retirement.
Williams returned to the state and, along with teammate Carlos Boozer, is the closest thing the state has to a team ambassador, but they both had productive careers after leaving Utah, and their presence is rarely felt.
Mitchell and Rudy Gobert will one day be recognized, but as active players on opposing teams, that celebration is still a long way off.
Had Hayward spent more time in Utah playing alongside Mitchell and Gobert, perhaps his podcast appearance would have been well-received. But so far, the reaction to his comments has been overwhelmingly negative.
Nobody cares.
— UJ (@Jazztimejones) August 22, 2024
“Nobody cares,” one Jazz fan responded to the video.
“We don’t want to hear about this guy,” another person said. “Get him out of here.”
Amid more than three dozen replies and even more posts citing the video, Jazz fans aren’t yet ready to reconcile with their former star.
However, for the notoriously stubborn Hayward to extend an olive branch to the fan base that welcomed him to the NBA, he has shown a willingness to repair the broken relationship.
Jazz fans may not be ready to welcome the former lottery pick back so soon after his retirement, but those negative feelings will one day fade and Hayward will take his place as one of the team’s prodigal sons.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and co-host of Jake and Ben from 10 p.m. to 12 p.m. with Jake Scott on 97.5 KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops or on Instagram @BensHoops.
