Jazz, head coach Will Hardy agree to multi-year extension
Will Hardy is in Salt Lake City for the long haul. The Utah Jazz made sure of that as they inked the head coach to a multi-year contract extension on Monday.
Will Hardy is in Salt Lake City for the long haul.
The Utah Jazz made sure of that as they inked the head coach to a six-year contract extension on Monday, keeping him with the team through the 2030-31 season.
“I’m humbled and honoured,” the now-extended bench boss said in the team’s announcement of the news. “This is an incredible franchise. To be able to be committed to the next phase of our process is hard to explain. Moments like this are very surreal. I’m so excited.”
Hardy took helm of the Jazz in 2022 when the team hit the reset button and embarked on a rebuild following the departure of Quinn Snyder after a third first-round exit through their last four seasons at that point.
While the 37-year-old’s first season fronting Utah was promising — leading them to a surprising 37-45 finish and finishing top 10 in Coach of the Year voting — the Jazz have yet to make the playoffs during his three-year tenure and their win total has decreased rapidly each season.
Utah finished with the league’s worst record this year (17-65) — by far its lowest single-season mark in franchise history — giving the Jazz a 14.0 per cent chance at securing the No. 1 overall pick come June. We’ll find out for certain if their “efforts” pay off at the NBA draft lottery on May 12.
“Will’s leadership has been invaluable to our program,” Jazz CEO Danny Ainge said. “He has established a vision for our players and a strong foundation of core values, competitive habits, and growth mindset. He is one of the brightest young coaches in our league, and we are incredibly fortunate to have him.”
Adding a top-end prospect, say, presumed No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, could be just what Hardy needs to turn around his 85-161 (.346) record as a head coach.
Prior to coaching the Jazz, Hardy was an assistant with the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs, working under the likes of Gregg Popovich, who recently stepped down from the coaching ranks.
Before that, Hardy was also a member of Team USA’s men’s basketball coaching staff when they won gold at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
The Jazz — who didn’t play anyone over the age of 27 in the final weeks of this season and finished the year with the youngest roster in the NBA — clearly understand why that was the case, and the extension shows they’re happy with the way Hardy has handled the rebuild.
“My conviction has never been stronger in terms of wanting to execute our long-term vision,” Hardy said at his final media availability of the season.
Utah also has more financial freedom than most teams this summer because of expiring contracts and only one player — Lauri Markkanen — making more than $30 million next season.
”Will is an incredible teacher, communicator, and partner,” Jazz general manager Justin Zanik said. “He’s invested in individual development and development for us as a team. I’m not sure there’s anyone better in the league in investing in our group. He got players to believe in their own development and take charge of it.”
— with files from the Associated Press
