Everyone knew that Gordon Hayward was going to get a max-contract offer from some team during the offseason, whether from the Jazz or from some other team. It was simply an inevitability.
The Hornets ended up making the offer, putting the Jazz in a weird spot, as they had the ability to match. They are still rebuilding (notice how I didn’t say tanking, even if they are almost the same thing nowadays), an endless process that will never bear fruit. Gordon Hayward, while a very good player, doesn’t do much for a rebuilding team, other than propel it towards wins that may not be wholly desired.
At the same time, if the plan is to eventually be good, would it not make sense to keep any good players you can find?
The Jazz did the right thing by matching the offer by the Hornets and keeping Hayward around. The contract may be a little large, but Gordon has responded by putting up the best scoring numbers of his career, on near career-best efficiency. Compare that to the Lance Stephenson situation, and I’d say Utah is happy with what they have with Hayward.