I hope Timelord becomes that rim-protector we all hope and dream of, but that’s at least 2-3 years of waiting, no? Maybe we get lucky and pull the trigger for Gobert, win in 2021, Gobert leaves and Williams does an adequate job in 2022 and bang-up job in 2023 after spending 2020-2021 watching Gobert? There’s really no role model for Williams right now.
One other dynamic to the Gobert situation: It’s possible Gobert has made it clear to the Jazz brass that he’s leaving next season, preferably for a team on the east coast that is closer to France. Quin Snyder is brilliant with young guys and he’s in it for the long-haul like Jerry Sloan before him, so he could strongly value getting our 2020 first-round picks to make sure not to lose Stifle Tower for nothing. Hayward would be the piece to make the dollars work. Perhaps they pull in another third team that is willing to give up an additional 2022 or 2023 first-rounder to get Hayward, so Snyder gets four first-round picks to continue building around Mitchell? Four first-round picks for a 2-time defensive player of the year on an expiring contract is a coup. The 2020 picks are not an overpay for us, and Hayward for a first-round pick on a contender (read: not a lottery pick) is worthwhile to a team trying to get one last thing to push them over the edge.