Utah Jazz: Donovan Mitchell aiming to recruit Paul George to Utah

Donovan Mitchell is aiming to have a conversation with Paul George about joining the Utah Jazz in his free agency this offseason.

To put it lightly, Utah Jazz (former) rookie Donovan Mitchell has risen to the ranks of stardom faster than pretty much any Jazzman in the history of the franchise. After just one stellar season, he has left quite an impression on the league and certainly made an impressive name for himself.

For some easy proof of that, look no further than the following list and links courtesy of KSL’s Andy Larsen. Donovan was in Cleveland to provide extra coverage for Game 3 of the NBA Finals and below is a look at all that he had on his docket during his media tour:

• Interviewed Kevin Love for NBA.com
• Interviewed Draymond Green for NBA.com
• Spent 30 minutes on ESPN’s First Take with Stephen A. Smith
• Went on NBATV’s The Starters show
• Joined SportsCenter before Game 3
• Was the featured guest on ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski’s podcast

Thanks to the links provided, you can catch up on any and all things you’ve missed. There is plenty of great Mitchell content throughout those links as he continues to show just what a special person and player he is. The Jazz are undoubtedly lucky to have him.

Of those interviews and appearances, the one that stands out the most though was Donovan Mitchell’s conversation with Adrian Wojnarowski on the Woj Pod. I can’t even begin to describe all the awesome things he had to say in it, so I really encourage Jazz fans to simply give it a listen. The pair of Woj tweets below do provide a nice sampling of his quotes, though.

However, perhaps what stood out the most was Mitchell’s declaration that he intends to have a conversation with All-Star Paul George about him joining Utah’s ranks in free agency. Donovan is clearly no stranger to recruiting and has the perfect personality to talk with and persuade players to help take the team to another level.

Here’s what Mitchell had to say on that particular matter:

"“I was the lead recruiter at Louisville. I think I signed four or five guys before I left. I think I can recruit some guys. Coach (Rick Pitino) and coach Kenny Johnson taught me some things.”“He (Paul George) is due. I think it’s July 1. I’m definitely going to have that conversation.”“Why not play with us? You look at how we move the ball. We play with guys who don’t care who scores the most, who rebounds the most. … We play with guys who genuinely want to win.”"

I love Donovan’s confidence and utmost lack of fear when he says “I’m definitely going to have that conversation.” This is an established vet and star in the league that he’s referring to, yet Mitchell states that he’d have no problem initiating a conversation with him about playing in Utah.

And as Mitchell said, why not? The Jazz are one piece away – a Paul George-like piece away – from being extremely special this next season. While landing him is beyond a long-shot, why not try? Especially when the team’s most promising player is willing to have that recruitment conversation with him?

I recently shared my thoughts about a handful of free agents that should consider the Jazz even though they likely won’t, and Paul George topped the list. His incredible scoring ability and defensive prowess could very well make him the piece that puts Utah over the edge from a playoff team to a title contender. His skill set seemingly would fit exactly what the Jazz need and could produce some stellar results.

Unfortunately, despite Mitchell’s likely best efforts and the solid relationship he does indeed have with PG, it’s unlikely he’ll be able to convince him to come to small market Utah. Paul George is most likely going to head to a big market such as the Los Angeles Lakers, find other superstars to join forces with, be it there or elsewhere, or perhaps simply re-sign in OKC where he’s apparently grown close to the players there.

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But you’ve got to love Mitchell’s moxie. And even if it doesn’t pay off this summer, it’s bound to in the not so distant future. The Jazz certainly have a special guy in Donovan and both on and off the court it’s sure to pay dividends for the Utah Jazz in their pursuit of an NBA title.