Gordon Hayward
The presumption in Utah is that Gordon Hawyard will opt out of his contract becoming an unrestricted free agent. In doing so, he will immediately become the league’s most sought after free agent on the market. At only 27 when the season begins, Hayward has not only already established himself as one of the premier outside shooters in the league, but is also a solid two-way player that would be a huge piece to add for any team’s championship run.
While Phoenix has long seemed to be a perfect destination for Hayward based on their high-paced system – and pairing him with Devin Booker would easily create one of the league’s top dynamic tandems – if winning is what Hayward wants to do right away, then other teams, such as the Utah Jazz themselves, the Boston Celtics, or even the Houston Rockets, could be better positioned to offer both max money and the opportunity to win right away.
However, as it is with Blake Griffin, the Suns could position themselves to potentially make a run at Hayward depending on how the draft plays out and what trades they make.
Much like the signing of Steve Nash in 2004, the Suns had placed themselves on a winning trajectory that enticed the coveted free agent. Granted, no-one could have known then how things would turn out, but the fact alone was that in 2003-04 the team had arguably their worst season since the team’s inaugural, and yet it only took one additional piece to make them a 62-win team, and a championship contender. Should Ryan McDonough better position the roster to compete immediately, max money could be just as enticing to Gordon here in Phoenix, as it would anywhere else.