Gordon Hayward Rumors: Star SF Reportedly Not 'Locked Into' Decision Timeline

Free-agent forward Gordon Hayward plans to meet with Utah Jazz officials Monday and has no timetable for making a decision about where he will be signing this summer.

Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe reported Hayward wants to "regroup" after his meeting with the Jazz. The meeting with the Jazz lasted for 3.5 hours in San Diego on Monday, and new Jazz guard Ricky Rubio flew from Spain to help pitch a partnership, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The All-Star forward, who is the most coveted free agent remaining on the market, met with the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat over the weekend. 

The three-team race is perhaps the most interesting of the summer, given the appeal of all three destinations.

Utah has a solid young core around Hayward and Rudy Gobert, and both of them developed into franchise cornerstones after being brought along slowly. Gobert is perhaps the NBA's best defensive center and has taken a noticeable leap during each of his four NBA seasons. Hayward has also spent his entire seven-year career with the Jazz.

The Heat offer a premier destination, a feature scoring role and their own defensive frontcourt behemoth in Hassan Whiteside. Pat Riley has experience luring big talents to South Beach, and Hayward could be the first of a multipronged approach bringing Miami back to contention. The Heat also have one of the NBA's best coaches in Erik Spoelstra, who dragged a seemingly barebones roster to 41 wins last season.

Coaching is perhaps the main appeal of Boston, as Hayward's college coach, Brad Stevens, now fills that role with the Celtics. Hayward and Stevens were one half-court heave away from becoming national champions together in Indianapolis, and the Celtics were the East's No. 1 seed last year. Adding Hayward and parlaying their war chest of draft picks into another star could make Boston legit title contenders.