SALT LAKE CITY — The Jazz held their end-of-season media availability Tuesday, allowing every player on the roster to be interviewed one at a time for the last time this season. Here were the big things we learned.

Gordon Hayward's free agency

It's still nearly two months before Gordon Hayward has the option to opt out on his contract and sign with another team. But interviewing all of the players on the roster about Hayward's decision gave some interesting tea leaves for Jazz fans to read.

The least forthcoming person about the process was Hayward himself, who said he "honestly hasn't thought about" his possible free agency at all. This, of course, isn't true, but is a useful way of deflecting the questions we asked him about it.

How do we know it's not true? Well, multiple teammates say they've talked to Hayward about his thinking. And while they don't say he's decided one way or the other, they seem to be optimistic that he'll stay in Utah next season.

For example, George Hill said, "His heart is in Utah, it's where he's been his whole career. He's like my little brother, and we've had plenty of talks about what's going on. Like you said, he definitely knows that his heart is here in Utah, it's where he's been his whole career. I'm sure Utah has the first hammer for him."

And Joe Ingles, the other player he's closest to on the Jazz, said this: "Everyone knows that I'm pretty close to Gordon and we've generally spoken about it. It's not like we wake up every morning and start texting about it. But it comes up every now and then. I think all of the guys who are free this year would much rather stay."

"You guys have seen him go from a scrawny, shaggy-haired kid who wasn't really playing into an all-star. I truly believe he loves it here. He loves the organization and the team. And at the end of the day, I believe for him it's about winning," Ingles said. "You want to be part of a winning team and a winning organization, and obviously the next step is keeping that team around."

Again, it's Hayward's decision, and Gordon himself kept his emotions much closer to the vest. He said he'd get more information on his options from agent Mark Bartlestein and make a decision when that time comes. But hearing from the those that were closest to him talk so positively about Hayward's return is a good sign. That's especially true given that their own futures may be linked to Hayward's.

Of course, there's a history of people who thought a player would stay, and then they left in free agency: Kevin Durant, LeBron James and many other smaller examples. So there's still work to be done for the Jazz in keeping Hayward in Utah, and even if they do their best, it's possible that he and wife Robyn will want to move on. But today, I thought, was encouraging for those who hope Hayward will sign with the Jazz.

Joe Ingles wants to stay

While Hayward kept his free agency preferences secret, Joe Ingles was straightforward: he wants to stay in Utah.

"Everyone knows that I want to come back. I couldn't think of a better place to come back," Ingles said. "Hopefully it all works out and it's a nice quick process and I'll be back here as soon as possible."

Why so sure? Well, it's a combination of his trust in the basketball operations staff and his love of Salt Lake City.

"After I got cut, Quin was the only one that believed in me to bring me in and give me a shot," Ingles said. He went on to talk about the work the player development staff had put into him improving his game, even at age 28.

But wanting to keep his family here seems like the most important factor.

"I love Utah. Before I came here, it wasn't on my bucket list to visit. But with Renee and the kids, it was a perfect city for us to be in," Ingles said. "It's kind of like back home in Adelaide. We've really enjoyed it. Hopefully, there's a lot more to go."

The Jazz always had the option to keep Ingles in Utah. Because he was a restricted free agent, they could match any deal. But knowing Ingles wants to stay in Utah (and that the Jazz want him back as well) will definitely decrease interest from other teams.

Derrick Favors says he's 100 percent?

One disappointment this season was the production received from Derrick Favors, who played just 50 games due to injury. When he did play, he had the lowest scoring average since he turned 21 years old and was coming off the bench behind Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap.

Here's the puzzler: throughout the playoffs, coaches credited Favors for playing through injuries despite being hobbled with knee and back issues. But Favors told us today that, "I definitely feel like I'm 100 percent going into the offseason. I feel a lot better."

So, there are two ways to take this. You can think "Oh, Favors thinks he's healthy and can have a full offseason to improve his game. That'll be great!" Or you can think "If Favors was healthy, why wasn't he much of a contributor in the second round? Why did he seem limited moving up and down the floor? Is this the new Favors?"

Favors did contribute greatly to the Jazz's round one victory, especially in a stellar Game 7 performance. Maybe this was his way of expressing disappointment in how little he played in the second round? Favors still feels he is a power forward, but Quin Snyder clearly disagrees, playing him zero minutes at the position against the Warriors.

Favors' role and status moving forward is definitely something to watch this offseason.

Alec Burks' leg status

Alec Burks spoke to the media about his knee injury that kept him out of the playoffs.

“My injury was more serious than I thought it was and I’m learning there are a lot of things that need to be done,” Burks said. "I knew coming into it, starting the season so late I wasn’t going to get back to myself."

By the end, he "needed to take steps to get himself more healthy." He won't require surgery, but he still has a lot more rehab that needs to be done this offseason.

"I was so explosive before I hurt my ankle, and it takes time to get all of that explosion back," Burks said. "I'm used to blowing by people, going over people, around people, and I'm just not that right now."

Burks does hope, though, that he'll be back to full athleticism by the time next season begins.

George Hill's toe and free agency

George Hill had the worst-possible 3-game stretch going into his free agency, being forced to sit out due to his toe injury at the end of the season. Hill said he tweaked his toe against the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 7, trying to dunk it going baseline which worsened the injury he first suffered in November.

That reaggravated the injury he suffered in November. Then, he had four foot specialists look at the injury and tell him he should take more rest than the month he ended up missing. "I'm really kind of hard-headed and wanted to play, so I took that chance," Hill said.

But after the re-injury, Hill said he and the coaching staff made a joint decision. "I knew I'd probably hurt them more than help them, and I can't be selfish," Hill said.

So now he's a free agent. Does he want to stay with the Utah Jazz?

"I've had a great experience here," Hill said. "I love the culture, the fans, the organization. We'll figure it all out in July."

He said he'd make his decision based on several factors. First, he'd consider the needs of his son and fiancee. That likely means location and money. But when asked about the biggest thing on his personal priority list, he says, "I love to win. I love good teammates, solid locker room guys. What's the best locker room for me, what team can I help the most."

And Utah stacks up highly there. "The group that I have here is more than enough," Hill said. And when asked on 1280 AM if he saw himself playing for Utah next year, he said, "Yes, I do."

One other factor that will matter to Hill: where Hayward chooses to play. "That's definitely going to weigh on me. I'll definitely be talking to him the majority of the summer, figuring out what he's thinking and what he's doing."

New ZBBC

The Jazz also took the opportunity while they had the media gathered to announce renovations and expansions of the Jazz's practice facility, the Zions Bank Basketball Center, into a "basketball campus" which will house both the basketball and business aspects of the franchise.

According to the press release, "Upgrades include a new player locker room; a 'living room' lounge and gaming area; and new weight and fitness training, sports medicine and full-service kitchen and dining areas."

I'm not the only one who noted that "gaming area" addition added, just as Hayward is becoming a free agent. While I don't actually think that factors into the decision, NBA players do play video games against each other, and it's neat that they'll have the opportunity to do that in the practice facility itself.

Most of the business side of the franchise has had to move while the arena is renovated, putting clubs, suites, and concourses in the former office areas. Giving them a space to relocate to is the biggest motive behind the expansion.

Other players' notes

A few other quick notes on a few other players on the roster:

• Rodney Hood saw doctors about his knee this morning, after being diagnosed with a knee sprain in the fourth quarter of Game 4. The swelling had gone down enough that an MRI wasn't required, but the good news is that they didn't find anything that will require surgery. Hood said he'd be out about a month.
• Rudy Gobert, after signing his extension last October, knows he's going to be here for the long haul. So maybe that explains his optimism for the future of the Jazz. "Going into next year I’m thinking," Gobert said, "Why not win 60 games?”
• Shelvin Mack, also a free agent this summer, says he likes it here in Utah. "It kind of reminds me of my Butler days," he said. "I'll let my agent handle the free agency."
• Jeff Withey is also a free agent. Unlike most players in that situation, he came into the post-season press conference wearing a Jazz ballcap. "I’d love to be here," Withey said about Utah. "It’s definitely where I want to be."
• Dante Exum seemed frustrated in his interview, after declining to speak after his Game 4 performance Monday. Exum said that he "definitely feels more comfortable at the point guard position," despite playing primarily at shooting guard over the last couple of months.
• Raul Neto hasn't decided where he's going to be this summer, his first NBA offseason without significant Brazilian National Team duties. He'll make that determination soon, he says.
• Joel Bolomboy's shuttle season from the SLC Stars to the Utah Jazz has been well-documented. But as he returned to Salt Lake after the playoffs, he found his car had been filled with popcorn and the tires removed. "It took about six hours," to remove the popcorn Bolomboy said, though he had a detailing service remove it.
• Trey Lyles had his playing time evaporate throughout the season, as he turned in some very inconsistent performances from February onwards. Lyles was relatively positive about it, though, saying "It was a good learning experience for me. You could kind of say my rookie year was this year instead of last year.” Lyles plans on regaining form and consistency in his jump shot this summer.

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