ICYMI: Good chance Utah Jazz will work to extend Royce O’Neale

According to a tweet from The Athletic’s Tony Jones, it would appear that the odds are high that the Utah Jazz and Royce O’Neale come to an extension agreement at some point this season.

The Utah Jazz haven’t been without their issues this season, but there have certainly been some areas where they’ve thrived. One such aspect has been in the defensive play of Royce O’Neale, who has set himself apart as one of the elite perimeter defenders in the NBA.

Night in and night out, O’Neale draws some of the toughest assignments the Jazz could hand him, whether it be the indomitable force which is Giannis Antetokounmpo or the unbelievable scorer Kawhi Leonard. Although the Jazz lost their lone game against Kawhi thus far and split a pair of contests against Giannis, O’Neale showed in those contests and others throughout the season that he can lock down even the best of the best.

Because of Royce’s incredible defensive prowess which has led him to be not only a starter for the Jazz but an essential part of their rotation and game plan, several fans have wondered what his future in Salt Lake City holds. It’s no secret that he’s currently on one of the best bargain contracts in the NBA as he’s making a paltry salary of $1.6 million on the final year of the contract he signed when he first joined the Jazz after going undrafted then playing overseas. That’s been good while it’s lasted, but it also likely means that Royce is about to get expensive.

Teams would kill for a defensive ace like Royce, especially one that is shooting threes at an impressive clip of 47.7 percent, solidifying himself as a legitimate 3-and-D force. Factor in as well that the upcoming free agent class of 2020 is relatively weak, and Royce could be in line to get paid majorly this offseason.

However, the Jazz can prevent him from being poached if they merely act in advance. Because Royce went undrafted, they can extend him at any time this season without having to worry about reaching any sort of deadline. Considering how important he’s become to this team, that may very well be in the team’s best interest.

And based on a recent tweet from The Athletic’s Tony Jones, it’s quite likely that the Jazz will aim to do just that and pursue an agreement to secure him beyond this year. When a fan asked Tony about Royce, he had the following to say:

Of course, his word is largely speculation at this point, but he is known for being well-connected and in the know. For him to use the expression that he “suspect[s] something will get done at some point” feels like it’s definitely in the Jazz’s plans to keep O’Neale on board.

I would think that considering that the Jazz gave Royce his NBA chance and that he has been able to flourish with this team, he’ll be anxious to stay with the franchise and work with them to find an appropriate agreement. What gets tricky is that with Utah’s current cap space situation, they may find it a challenge to fork out the necessary dough to retain O’Neale and keep him happy.

Depending how contract talks go, O’Neale could very well opt to wait to hit the open market in free agency and see what he’s worth, which could put the Jazz in a pretty considerable bind.

Nevertheless, I’m predicting that such won’t be the case and that, as Tony Jones alluded to, the Jazz will indeed find a way to make things work and that Royce will be open to it as well. He’s been an excellent chemistry fit in Utah, is a great friend of Donovan Mitchell‘s and has expanded his game immensely under the Jazz’s renowned development program.

Some have thought that since he hasn’t been extended yet, perhaps the Jazz weren’t planning to do so at all. But because they have all season to do it, I’d imagine they’re just taking their time and getting a feel for how the season is going to look and turn out before rushing into anything too hastily.

I, for one, would love to see O’Neale continue to be a member of the Utah Jazz. His defense has become absolutely superb and his shooting has taken an incredible leap. Truthfully, my biggest complaint about Royce is that sometimes he can be almost too unassertive and slow to pull the trigger. He’s a talented shooter and good off the dribble, and he needs to play with a confidence and aggressiveness consistent with that.

O’Neale is averaging just 5.7 points per game this season, is coming off a bout wherein he went scoreless and only has two double-figure scoring outings on the year. Yes, he’s in the game primarily for defense, but Royce can and should be given opportunity to do more. As he does so, he’ll become even more valuable for the Jazz.

And even if there are only slight strides there, his defense alone is enough that he merits a spot on this team. He has been one of Utah’s greatest diamond in the rough success stories, and I’d be willing to wager that they’ll indeed figure out a way to come to an extension agreement sometime this season before Royce ever has a chance to even come close to hitting free agency.