July 4, 2017 is a date that will live in infamy among Utah Jazz fans. Rather than a day spent celebrating the independence of the United States of America, enjoying food and fun with family and friends, it was a day marked by former Jazz All-Star Gordon Hayward declaring his independence from the Utah Jazz.
One year ago, the lead man of a team that had finally made it back into the playoffs after a long drought spurned his team and departed for greener pastures. For the time being, Utah’s future appeared quite grim.