After his breakout in Year 3, it's in the Utah Jazz's best interest to keep Keyonte George. With everything he has done off the court since the season ended, it feels like a pretty easy decision. Yet there hasn't been much intel suggesting an extension is on the horizon this summer. In fact, the latest suggests, like Walker Kessler last year, they're going to put this off a year.
But why? ESPN's Tim MacMahon revealed on "The Hoop Collective" that he would be "very surprised" if George signs an extension with Utah this summer. Not because they don't want to keep him, but because they want to see if George can put up the same numbers he did this past season, given that the team will be much more competitive.
Basically, the Jazz want George to prove his numbers will be worthwhile now that the team will enter the season with legitimate expectations.
Again, Utah is just using restricted free agency to their advantage in this case. Last year, they didn't extend Kessler both because they couldn't agree on his price tag and re-signing him could have interfered with their cap space.
This time, it's more about truly evaluating George's worth. There were a lot of questions about his long-term standing with the team after Year 2. Now, it's inarguable the talent he possesses, but whether he's ready to be a cornerstone on a playoff team is up in the air.
Hopefully, there won't be as much drama with George
There will be some nervousness around this situation. The Jazz did this with Kessler, and now he's not on the team anymore. Granted, they didn't trade him because they didn't want him but because they had the chance to get a goldmine for him.
Before that though, there were pretty rumblings suggesting it was going to get ugly between Kessler and the Jazz. Maybe the same thing will happen with George, but he's made it clear through his recent actions over the past few months that he wants to be a Jazzman for the foreseeable future.
It doesn't sound like George is upset with how Utah is handing this like Kessler was, but things can change between now and when his restricted free agency starts next year.
Plus, despite all the drama with Kessler, everyone presumed he would be back in Utah anyway., and we saw how that all turned out. Things could change a lot next season with George, as his overall Jazz tenure has been a roller coaster.
What the Jazz are (rumoredly) doing is a risk, but it's a calculated risk.
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