10:39pm: According to league sources, the extension talks between Hayward and the Jazz will end without a resolution, reports Wojnarowski. Hayward will become a restricted free agent next July and could command, in Wojnarowski’s estimate, a deal worth four years and more than $50MM.
9:59pm: As we approach an hour before the extension deadline, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports tweets that the Jazz and Hayward are still engaged in talks.
THURSDAY, 11:36am: Hayward and the Jazz “still have a long way to go” if they’re going to work something out by tonight’s deadline, according to Wojnarowski. However, Wojnarowski expects talks to continue into the final hours, and notes that major movement often occurs as the deadline nears (Twitter links).
SATURDAY, 3:13pm: The Jazz and Gordon Hayward have been in talks about a package that would reportedly exceed the $47.7MM base salary of Derrick Favors‘ extension, but the two sides aren’t close to an agreement, according to USA Today’s Sam Amick. Thursday represents the deadline for teams and players eligible to receive rookie-scale extensions to sign a deal, and while Amick cautions that the situation could quickly change, it appears as though Hayward is headed for restricted free agency next summer (Twitter link).
There’s “nothing resembling even the baseline for an agreement,” writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski points out that the Celtics and Suns, two teams set to have plenty of cap space next summer, employ coaches with whom Hayward has a history — Brad Stevens in Boston and Jeff Hornacek in Phoenix.
Hayward is drawing praise from around the league, and Doc Rivers‘ “man-crush” on the former Butler standout suggests he’ll have plenty of teams after him if he hits free agency. Still, Hayward started only 27 of his 72 games last season, averaging 14.1 points and shooting 41.5% on three-point attempts. Favors has seen even less time on the floor during his first three seasons, but that didn’t stop the Jazz from committing to him for the long term.
Only about 25% of voters in a Hoops Rumors poll this week agreed that Hayward should receive more money than Favors in an extension. Still, the holdup in Hayward’s case appears to be on his side. He’s likely to see plenty of action this season, and his steady improvement so far suggests a heavy volume of shots and minutes could result in a serious jump in production. He and agent Mark Bartelstein may be anxious to see just how high his value can get.