Tony Jones: Derrick Favors met for 5 hours with Dennis Lindsey, Quin Snyder and Tony Lang, according to League Sources. The meeting went very well, sources say, although Favors hasn’t made a decision on his future
More on Derrick Favors Free Agency
David Aldridge: The Jazz met with @Derrick Favors and agent Wallace Prather Sunday. The meeting with the Jazz was productive, but Wallace had meetings with multiple teams, and they are expected to make a decision on Monday.
Sean Deveney: Derrick Favors of the @Utah Jazz is expected to test the free-agent market, but both sides expect him to return to the Jazz, sources told Sporting News. If any team is willing to gamble on him, it could be the @Phoenix Suns. But Phoenix is also looking at @Toronto Raptors PG Fred VanVleet.
Tony Jones: The Utah Jazz will travel to Atlanta to meet with unrestricted free agent power forward Derrick Favors on Sunday afternoon, League Sources tell The Salt Lake Tribune.
Favors strongly states that he loves the Jazz from top to bottom, whether it is ownership, management, the coaching staff or his teammates. Even so, the 26-year-old believes it is in his best interest to do his due diligence when free agency begins. “I’m definitely excited about being a free agent for the first time and pretty much getting a chance to control my own destiny,” Favors said. “I’m just trying to find the right situation that makes sense for me as a player. Be in the right spot. Get a chance to showcase my talent. Get a chance to showcase what I can do. I’m just focused on finding the right situation that is the right fit for me.”
Favors is in favor of visiting teams during free agency. “I don’t think you get a really good feel over the phone,” Favors said. “I’d rather be face-to-face in a meeting, ask questions and kind of figure stuff out.”
With the Jazz on the rise and the environment strong, Favors admitted that the franchise would be tough to leave. He said if Utah offers him a “good situation that fits” perfectly, he would likely re-sign quickly. “I really do enjoy being out there,” Favors said. “I enjoyed all of my teammates. I enjoy the organization, the front office and the coaching staff. I love everything about Utah. It is definitely a business. There might be a situation where I do have to leave. It would be tough. But you have to put yourself in the right situation, because the teams are going to do that for themselves, too. You just have to find the right situation.”
Eric Woodyard: I was told through a source today that Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors has set up a "few" free agent meetings. He is currently vacationing until the meetings begin after July 1. Favors loves Utah but his goal is to go through the process to see what situation is best for him.
“I’m definitely excited about being a free agent for the first time and pretty much getting a chance to control my own destiny,” Favors said. “I’m just trying to find the right situation that makes sense for me as a player. Be in the right spot. Get a chance to showcase my talent. Get a chance to showcase what I can do. I’m just focused on finding the right situation that is the right fit for me.” Favors is in favor of visiting teams during free agency. “I don’t think you get a really good feel over the phone,” Favors said. “I’d rather be face-to-face in a meeting, ask questions and kind of figure stuff out.”
“I really do enjoy being out there,” Favors said. “I enjoyed all of my teammates. I enjoy the organization, the front office and the coaching staff. I love everything about Utah. “It is definitely a business. There might be a situation where I do have to leave. It would be tough. But you have to put yourself in the right situation, because the teams are going to do that for themselves, too. You just have to find the right situation.”
“It was a great season for me,” Favors said. “I think I exceeded a lot of expectations in a sense. I know there was a lot of question of how I would come back after the season before being injured a lot and with the way they are playing now basically with [small forward] at [power forward]. People wondered if I could guard the perimeter. I know there was a lot of question on whether me and Rudy could fit offensively. I know I went out and proved a lot of people wrong. “I didn’t have the best stats because I had to sacrifice a lot. In terms of basketball, I exceeded a lot of expectations.”
Favors — the athletic power forward — will be the most visible internal free agent for the Jazz this summer. And he knows his freedom on the unrestricted market can go a number of different ways once July 1 rolls around. “The communication has been good,” Favors told The Salt Lake Tribune this week. “I’m pretty sure me and my agent [Wallace Prather] will get a meeting set up, and we’ll figure some things out. I know they want me back, and I want to come back. But, it’s a business and a numbers game, so we’ll have to see.”
As for Favors and Exum, Lindsey wouldn’t say he expected to sign both players, although he did say he “hoped” to have both players back for next season. “He’s a good player on a good team and Derrick is very consistent in his want to be back here,” Lindsey said. “I think he understands what he has here and we certainly understand what he produces. His agent is a terrific person and that’s been able to carve out good deals for both sides, so I don’t see any initial obstacles. Derrick’s got to go through this process, but that’s my hope (he’ll be back).”
It may have just been a slip of the tongue or perhaps just his manner of talking when Derrick Favors spoke in the past tense about his time in Utah during his “locker-cleanout” interview Wednesday with local media. “I enjoyed this year,” he said. “I enjoyed my whole time in Utah. I fell in love with the city, with the organization, with you guys.”
He said he’s not leaning one way or another some two months before he must make a decision on his future. “We’ll see how it goes,” he said. “There will be a lot of things to think about this summer, but I can wait for that.”
Andy Larsen: Re: Favors' tweet: maybe I'm wrong! I have two sources that have told me that Favors isn't going to resign in Utah, but they could be lying to me or just misguided. There is also the cynical possibility of: maybe Favs is saying this to preserve negotiating position.
Derrick Favors will be a free agent at the end of the season, and has already become the subject of speculation. He emphatically told The Salt Lake Tribune this week that he wants to remain with the Jazz long-term, but also knows the reality: He could be a trade asset for the Jazz as they rebuild in the wake of Gordon Hayward’s own free agency departure last summer. “The key is for me not to think about it,” Favors said. “I don’t read the articles. I don’t read twitter. I just don’t pay attention to it. I just have to understand that I can be here one day and gone the next. So I have to work hard while I’m here. I have to keep working on my game. And when I’m in the game, I just have to know that I’m not only playing for my team, but I’m showcasing my talent as well.”
