2010 NBA Redraft: Looking back at how things change with hindsight

#9 Pick: Evan Turner (Originally: Gordon Hayward)

This pick came to Utah in a trade back in 2004 from the Phoenix Suns but it was originally connected to the New York Knicks. This is where the fall ends for the former number two overall pick Evan Turner.

Turner has not had a bad professional career at all and would have fit the personality of the Jazz well during that time. While he does not play the exact position Hayward does, they would have fit similarly and meshed well with all the big men on the roster.

The biggest negative for the Jazz is the lower ceiling on star talent here, but Turner has found a role as an above-average role player for years now. Falling to ninth in the draft, it’s hard to ask for more than a career rotation player. Turner was a star in college and would have fit nicely next to Millsap and Jefferson once he got there.

Given that the Jazz capped out as a lower-tier playoff team with Hayward, this does not have a dramatic effect on their long term future. It would have been better to add Hayward to a playoff team with Deron Williams over Hayward, who would take time to develop. Tthe Williams trade still likely happens and Utah would not return to the postseason until Hayward’s final season.

Pretending that Turner would have hit Hayward’s level of play is a fool’s errand. But saying they would have not seen similar success using their assets slightly different is also misguided. Turner could have had a much better early career in a significantly more stable situation.

With the tenth pick in the 2010 NBA Redraft, the Indiana Pacers select…