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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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The Utah Jazz have reportedly agreed on a significant contract extension to keep star guard Keyonte George on their roster for the foreseeable future.
On Friday, NBA insiders Shams Charania and Tim McMahon reported that George agreed to a five-year, $157.5 million "rookie-scale contract extension." That contract typically pays rookies based on their draft position, with the first several years guaranteed.
Utah selected George with their No. 16 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. According to unnamed sources mentioned in ESPN's report, the 22-year-old's contract extension won't include any team or player options. The new contract extension will account for approximately 16% of the Jazz's salary cap.
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George, who played two seasons of college basketball at Baylor, is coming off his best NBA season thus far. He averaged 23.6 points, 6.1 assists, and 3.7 rebounds for the Jazz, with 45.6% field-goal shooting.
His points, assists, and field-goal percentage were all career-high numbers. In addition, George shot a career-high 37.5% from three for a Jazz team that made some significant offseason moves.
They landed the No. 2 pick in this past June's NBA Draft and added dynamic young star Darryn Peterson. Along with that, Utah completed a sign-and-trade, sending star big man Walker Kessler to the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster deal for multiple future picks.
Fans had mixed reactions to Charania's X report about George's contract extension with the Jazz. Still, multiple commenters praised him as the team's top star.
"MOST UNDERRATED PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE," one commenter said.
Another wrote, "This is the RARE scenario where I like this deal for all parties involved."
Others commented, "He already made a real jump last season. Utah’s basically betting that wasn’t the ceiling" and "One of the best players hardly anyone has ever seen play lol."
Utah finished 22-60 and tied with the Sacramento Kings for the worst record in the Western Conference. However, if George continues the path he's been on with improving stats, he could likely earn an All-Star spot.
The Jazz landed 2022-23 Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. via trade before last season's deadline and already had 2023 All-Star Lauri Markkanen in the frontcourt.
With Peterson alongside George in the backcourt, Utah appears to have a talented roster heading into the future, but it remains to be seen how well they can compete with more potent opponents in the NBA.
NBA training camps begin later this month, with the preseason starting on Saturday, Oct. 3, and the regular season on Tuesday, Oct. 20. The Jazz have their first regular-season game on Wednesday, Oct. 21, against the Memphis Grizzlies.
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