Utah Jazz: Jae Crowder’s arrival would paint over the cracks

Gordon Hayward is gone but he isn’t done with the Utah Jazz yet. Rumors are circulating about a possible sign-and-trade deal that brings Jae Crowder to Utah.

With Gordon Hayward announcing his decision to defect to the Boston Celtics via The Players Tribune, you’d have assumed his impact on the Utah Jazz had come to an end.

Not quite.

Tony Jones and Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune are reporting that Hayward and his agent, Mark Bartelstein, have offered to help alleviate some of the pain of the All-Star small forward’s departure in the form of a sign-and-trade with the Celtics.

The beaten Eastern Conference finalists need to clear cap space. One way or another, there needs to be an adjustment to the books. Removing the qualifying offer to Kelly Olynyk was a start, but there is still some work to do.

The rumored deal involves Jae Crowder and his three-year contract worth close to $22 million.

It would be a fitting turn of events after Crowder took offense to the Boston crowd cheering for Hayward when he visited the Garden in January. He wasn’t impressed, telling ESPN:

"“I heard the cheering before the game. I didn’t like that at all,” said Crowder. “I think that was a sign of disrespect to me from the fans. That sparked a little fire in me.”"

Along with Crowder, Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart are also reportedly on the block to clear cap space. Crowder is the logical first choice, though. The logjam at small forward in Boston has him as the odd man out.

Hayward will start with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown still needing a spot in the rotation off the bench – Crowder no longer fits.

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Adding Crowder after losing Hayward would be a consolation prize the Jazz desperately need. Given their cap situation, they will otherwise struggle to fill the void left by the kid they drafted ninth overall in 2010.

Crowder doesn’t offer the same scoring punch Hayward does, but he’s no slouch. Scoring 13.9 points per game while shooting 46 percent from the floor last year, his 39 percent perimeter shooting makes him a constant threat.

On the defensive end, Crowder is an upgrade and a lockdown defender renowned across the league. He can pick up the elite wings in the West while helping Rudy Gobert down low should Quin Snyder go small.

Crowder was tasked with keeping Jimmy Butler quiet in their March showdown with the Chicago Bulls and he didn’t disappoint. Running through screens and using his 235-pound frame to keep Butler away from the basket, Crowder held the All-Star forward to five points on 2-of-11 shooting.

Nobody is going to come in and replace Hayward. The way the league works, a small market team like the Jazz will have to develop from within. Crowder paints over the cracks in the meantime.

Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey told the Salt Lake Tribune “we would never comment on any trade speculation.”

That’s not to say it won’t happen. It should happen. Crowder arriving via a sign-and-trade is the best the Jazz can do in this situation. Don’t mistake Hayward’s willingness to make this happen as some sort of peace offering, either. It’s not. It’s a mere necessity of his decision to leave the Jazz.

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The Jazz don’t want this to be a rebuild; they want it to be a renovation. Adding Jae Crowder ensures they don’t slip too far from their 51-win 2016-17 season.