Utah Jazz: Mitchell ups Paul George recruitment to another level

Donovan Mitchell recently mentioned that he would have a conversation with impending free agent Paul George about joining the Utah Jazz and he’s apparently taking that recruitment very seriously.

In Donovan Mitchell‘s recent appearance on the Woj Pod with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, he insinuated that he would be having a conversation with impending free agent Paul George about potentially joining the Utah Jazz. While the idea is a solid one in theory – PG’s skill set would be an awesome fit on the court in Utah – it’s highly unlikely that even the amazing Spida-man could lure such a star into the Jazz ranks.

Nevertheless, Mitchell is already proving to hold true to his word. Late on Friday night, the Jazz star posted a photo on Twitter with a not-so-subtle message aimed at Paul George.

Check it out for yourself below–

https://twitter.com/spidadmitchell/status/1005321075436277761

Now, it’s not a stretch to say that Mitchell and PG are friends. George played an instrumental role in convincing Donovan Mitchell that he was ready for the NBA Draft. They’ve kept in contact throughout Donovan’s rookie season, and their interactions on the court after games have clearly shown that they’re close.

It’s Donovan Mitchell that we’re talking about after all, who wouldn’t want to be friends with the guy?

However, calling them “best friends” may be a bit of a stretch, but as is often said in this social media age, “Shoot your shot, Donovan!”

The tweet came perfectly timed with National Best Friend Day, sending a clear message that while it may not be the case at this very moment, if these two pals were to unite on the same team, they could very well become best friends. They may even be able to become champions together.

Just imagine an offense featuring both Donovan Mitchell’s electrifying versatility and ability to storm the rim as well as PG’s well-rounded game that just last year saw him put up 21.9 points per game on 40.1 percent shooting from deep while playing on a loaded OKC squad. He’s also a dominant perimeter defender which, as hard as it would be to believe, could make Utah’s defense even more daunting.

Not only that, but it’s no stretch to say that Quin Snyder would be the best coach he’s played for and could very well get even more out of him to help elevate the star’s game to another level entirely.

He’s also just one-year removed from a career-high 23.7 points per game in his final year with the Indiana Pacers, a figure which jumped to an impressive 28 points per game in the playoffs. As much as Jazz fans teased him for the nickname “Playoff P”, I don’t think they’d mind having that kind of production on their team during the postseason. Maybe fans should have laid off the “Pushoff P” jokes, but all can be forgiven, right?

Unfortunately, whether George is a forgiving guy or not is probably irrelevant. The fact of the matter is that while Mitchell’s recruiting efforts are noble and it’s exciting to see a Jazzman be willing to go out on a limb, this one is likely a futile exercise.

George was traded from the Pacers in the first place because he made it clear to the organization that he wanted to go play for the Los Angeles Lakers. Since then, he’s mentioned staying with OKC as a possibility, but has spoken of little else. My money is on him ending up in one of those two places.

Some have spoken of the Houston Rockets pursuing him to ramp up their super team or the Philadelphia 76ers going after him to become a daunting force themselves. You could argue that if other teams outside of LA and OKC are wooing him, that the Jazz could throw themselves into that mix. However, both Philly and Houston are reputed as more attractive markets than Salt Lake City which has tended to struggle to bring in free agent talent in the past.

Not only that, but as much as we Jazz fans love to think that the team is close to a title – and we’re closer than most casual fans give us credit for – Philly and Houston could both make strong arguments that they put PG in an even better situation than Utah would.

Being in the Eastern Conference, the Sixers provide an easier path to the NBA Finals, especially if LeBron James goes out west. Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets were one game away from beating the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals and that was with Chris Paul sidelined due to injury.

Next: Utah Jazz alumni: Hood & Co. face uncertain future after Finals loss

So as fun as it would be to see PG in a Jazz jersey, I wouldn’t count on it. But the cool thing to glean from this is that Donovan Mitchell has the confidence and relationships necessary to connect with the biggest of stars. If he’s comfortable talking to a guy like Paul George this way, there’s no limit to what he’ll be willing to do to help bring talent to the Utah Jazz.

And at this rate, his recruiting is one day going to pay off. It feels like it’s only a matter of time until a star free agent domino falls in Utah’s favor, likely thanks to the unrelenting recruiting efforts of Donovan Mitchell.