The Utah Jazz quietly has one of the most interesting offseasons coming up in 2017. Starters Gordon Hayward and George Hill along with rotation guys in Boris Diaw, Shelvin Mack, and Joe Ingles can all hit the free agency market this summer. With Rudy Gobert already locked up with a max contract, who will be the next guy to get big money?
The Jazz probably wants to keep Diaw, Ingles, and Mack on cheaper contracts so the big money guys become Gordon Hayward and George Hill. The idea is the Jazz are looking to max Gordon Hayward before he heads to Boston and rejoins his former college coach Brad Stevens on the Celtics. So what about Hill? His price might be too rich for the Jazz and it could partially be thanks to the Brooklyn Nets.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst was a part of the TrueHoop podcast alongside fellow ESPN writer Tim MacMahon, Washington Post NBA writer Tim Bontemps and TrueHoop staple, Big Wos. You can listen to the full podcast here.
Tim MacMahon talked to Brian Windhorst about the Jazz and Hill not agreeing to a new contract recently ahead of the contract extension deadline.
(discussion takes place at about the 8-minute mark of the podcast)
Tim MacMahon – “They could have gone, including the nearly $14 mil in cap space they have this year they could have just given him, they could have gone from now through the next three seasons a little over $88 million dollars on him. We’re talking big, big, big money. But, I’m telling you, his people think in this market, he can get max. They think he can get four for $132 (million). I think that’s awfully optimistic but uh, can he get more than $88 (million)? And really can he get the fourth year commitment? Is that say, in the Jazz’s best interest to go that fourth year for him? These are all thing they gotta figure out this summer.”
Later on at about the 18 minutes mark, Brian Windhorst talked about where Hill might get his max offer from.
Windhorst – “Well let me tell you what the executives are talking about. George Hill recently changed agencies, and I’m not going to get into the intricacies of this.”
Tim Bontemps – “Who did he sign with?”
BW – “I don’t wanna talk about it.”
TB – “wow”
BW – “Last year, Allen Crabbe changed agencies, like right before free agency. Next thing you know he had a gigantic offer sheet from the Brooklyn Nets. The same agency represents Tyler Johnson in Miami, he got a huge offer sheet from the Brooklyn Nets. And so there is a belief that the Brooklyn Nets might have an interest in going there. And even if George Hill doesn’t want to play for Brooklyn, that the Nets could make the offer is what is the dangerous part for the Jazz, or the (San Antonio) Spurs. They can drive the price up. Because the Nets have shown, they put out two gigantic offer sheets last year and their cap position is still essentially the same.
They are a major player that can go after Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, they are a team that can go after Otto Porter. Anywhere the Nets smell like a possibility of not getting their contract matched. They’re so desperate to bring in talent, they prefer young talent, but they’re gonna be a player in that market. Obviously, they need all kinds of guards, Philadelphia (76ers) is in a somewhat similar boat. That’s one of the things that the GM’s are out there chattering about.
Now, I don’t know what Sean Marks is gonna do. Maybe Sean Marks doesn’t want an older player like George Hill on his books. But I’m just telling you, I’ve heard that from more than one GM, talking about Brooklyn possibly going after George Hill this summer.”
TM – “I know George Hill’s camp is convinced he’s getting max. Convinced. It’s not without kicking over some rocks.”
