Jazz's George Hill: Will become unrestricted free agent in summer

Hill and the Jazz won't come to terms on a contract extension before July, meaning the point guard will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune reports.

Analysis:

The Jazz acquired Hill as part of a three-team deal prior to the 2016 NBA Draft with the hope that he'd serve as a one-year bridge at point guard before promising youngster Dante Exum was ready to take on a full-time role, but Hill has probably performed better than the team could have hoped. Though he's had some tough luck on the injury front and has already missed 25 games this season, Hill has been phenomenal when healthy, providing excellent perimeter defense while averaging a career-high 17.7 points and 2.1 three-pointers per game. According to the report, the Jazz are eager to pay up if necessary to retain Hill, but heading to free agency will likely help the point guard's leverage in any negotiation. Along with the Jazz, a number of other teams are said to have interest in pursuing Hill this offseason.