Jazz breakout star won't have the same fate as Walker Kessler

The Utah Jazz signaled to Walker Kessler that they were more than happy to play hardball with him this offseason. It won't be a fun process, but the Jazz know that they hold all the cards with him and his restricted free agency. One would think they might do the same thing with Keyonte George.

TLDR: they're not.

Former Jazz reporter Tony Jones pretty much confirmed this when asked about George getting maxed out this offseason.

This was after George put up yet another excellent performance in the Jazz's hard-fought loss against the Philadelphia 76ers, where he put up 30 points on 10-for-24 shooting, which included five threes.

Now, this discussion should not turn into a "Who's better: Kessler or George?" because that is as apples and oranges as it gets. But what many will justifiably wonder is why will the Jazz be more than happy to max out George the first chance they get when they didn't and still won't do the same with Kessler?

The answer is actually pretty straightforward.

George's ascension served as the Jazz's turning point

Despite the Jazz's losing, anyone who's been paying attention knows how great of a story George has been in Year 3. After having as disastrous as a sophomore season as one can get, George has looked like a franchise cornerstone in the making in Utah.

He's improved his jumper, sure, but he finally found his consistency as a player, finding himself as a playmaker while also being able to draw free throws at an incredible rate. The only reason why his Most Improved Player campaign isn't stronger is because of the obvious.

Even so, it's fair to say that George's improvement played a role in why the Jazz went out of their way to ensure their future by acquiring Jaren Jackson Jr. while still tanking. If George were still the same player as last season, they probably wouldn't do that, but the quartet of him, JJJ, Kessler, and Lauri Markkanen will make the Jazz a force to be reckoned with.

As an added bonus, George being this good already in his early 20s should give the Jazz enough incentive to see his potential through, regardless of JJJ, as any other team would.

Hopefully, this won't ruin Kessler's long-term standing with Utah

Even though how the Jazz are handling this is the most straightforward decision, extending George at the first opportunity while playing hardball with him might rub him the wrong way. Kessler himself admitted his frustration at Media Day after he came away with no extension.

Seeing George not only get the extension right away but likely also getting paid more could further rub him the wrong way. There's not really much Kessler can do about the situation, but here's to hoping he'll be a good sport about it should the offseason play out exactly as the Jazz want.

Jazz alumni like Gordon Hayward certainly didn't like how the Jazz handled his restricted free agency way back when, and look how that turned out. Kessler isn't the same player as Hayward was then when the fallout happened, but his value as an irreplaceable piece should make the Jazz do everything in their power to ensure a Hayward-like situation doesn't happen again with him.