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As Boston rookie Jayson Tatum launched the winning shot against Philadelphia, Celtics executive Danny Ainge stood in the Huntsman Center tunnel, talking into his phone while being surrounded by Jazz players who were waiting to take the court Monday.

That scene conveniently captured the weird aura of the Utah Summer League's opening night. Ordinarily, any of this stuff would have become the story: Tatum delivered a game-winner in his pro basketball debut. Philadelphia's Markelle Fultz was blocked at the other end in his bid to top Tatum at the buzzer, after Ainge traded the No. 1 pick to the 76ers because he liked Tatum as much as Fultz. Jazz veteran Dante Exum played confidently and aggressively. First-round pick Donovan Mitchell looked dynamic in scoring 23 points in the Jazz's 87-74 win over San Antonio.

Exum and the rookies from various teams created a fun diversion, but that's all it was.

The Gordon Hayward Sweepstakes really were the only thing most people in the building could think about, with the Jazz having made their pitch to the prized free agent in San Diego — a day after Ainge and the Celtics hosted him in Boston. Afterward, Exum himself was eager to call teammates Joe Ingles and Rudy Gobert for an insiders' account of the meeting.

When the summer league resumes Wednesday, here's hoping none of us will be spending another night watching Ainge check his phone and wonder what it all means.

The most awkward moments came in the second half of each game when fans started a "Gordon Hayward" chant that died out quickly. That's probably because other fans realized Hayward was not actually here to hear them.

The Jazz and Celtics will meet Thursday to conclude the Huntsman Center schedule. By then, one group or the other will feature some of Hayward's future teammates.

The candidates include Exum, who scored 11 of his 18 points in the game's first six minutes. Nobody's overreacting, knowing DeShawn Stevenson once starred as a fourth-year player in the summer league, but Exum's work was encouraging. Same story with Mitchell. The guard from Louisville is as athletic as advertised, and his stroke is better than his 41-percent shooting as a sophomore suggests. Exum and Mitchell "played off of each other well," said Jazz assistant coach Alex Jensen.

Mitchell would blend in nicely with Hayward in the coming years. Or Hayward could choose to play with Tatum in Boston. The pairing of Fultz and Tatum in the opening game was fun, considering their draft status. The likes of Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant made their pro debuts in the Salt Lake Valley, as part of the Jazz's summer tradition that covers three-plus decades, off and on.

Ainge, as a Celtic, even played in the old Utah Pro-Am Summer League at Westminster College in the 1980s, teaming with other BYU alumni. And here he is this week, awaiting Hayward's decision, along with everybody else in Utah and beyond.

Part of Hayward's dilemma about staying with the Jazz or moving to the NBA's Eastern Conference involves the level of competition in the West, and how the path to the NBA Finals would be much easier in the East.

The Jazz will face significant challenges, even with Hayward. Now, to the unthinkable: What if he goes to Boston or Miami? Will the Jazz even make the playoffs in 2017-18?

One NBA expert believes otherwise. With free agency spinning wildly in the West, prior to Hayward's decision, the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn listed the playoff teams in order: Golden State, Houston, San Antonio, Minnesota, Denver, Oklahoma City, the Los Angeles Clippers and Portland.

Obvious omission: Utah. That's not crazy, though. The list assumes Boston will land Hayward, and nobody could dismiss that possibility as Hayward wrapped up his series of free agency meetings.

The Jazz's outlook will change dramatically if they keep Hayward. At that point, the conversation would switch to whether they could finish in the top four, behind Golden State, Houston and San Antonio. That's reasonable, indeed. And that's how much value Hayward held around here, as of Monday night.

kkragthorpe@sltrib.com Twitter: @tribkurt