The Utah Jazz are about to enter a watershed offseason, with two of their three most important players set to hit unrestricted free agency.
One of them, point guard George Hill, reportedly turned down an extension offer from the team during the season. But that's likely because the Jazz were only able to offer him an additional three years on an extension, whereas they can sign him for four or five years as a free agent. In his exit interview Tuesday, a day after the Jazz were swept out of the playoffs by the Golden State Warriors, Hill sounded very open to locking in a new long-term deal this summer to remain in Utah.
"What's the best locker room for me, what team can I help the most," Hill said when asked what factors he'll consider in free agency, according to Andy Larsen of Salt City Hoops. "The group that I have here is more than enough."
Hill struggled to stay on the floor in his first season with the Jazz, missing 33 regular-season games with a litany of ailments, and the team's final three playoff games with a toe injury. But when he played, he played as well as he ever has, meshing seamlessly with his new team, posting career highs in points per game (16.9) and true shooting percentage (59.9), and playing typically sterling defense. The Jazz were 7.8 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor in the regular season, and 14.4 points per 100 better in the playoffs.
Hill developed a particularly close bond with the Jazz's other marquee free agent, All-Star swingman Gordon Hayward. The organization feels pretty confident Hayward will choose to stick around, and Hill - who says Hayward's decision will factor into his own - seems to feel the same.
"He’s like my little brother now," Hill said, according to Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. "His heart is here in Utah."
The Jazz's plan appears to be to bring back both players, but with Joe Ingles also headed for restricted free agency, Derrick Favors just a year away from hitting the open market, and Rudy Gobert's $100-million extension about to kick in, the team's core could get very expensive very quickly.
