We’re starting to get a glimpse into the Utah Jazz’s mindset heading into a stretch where several of their core players are soon to become free agents.
According to a report by Marc Stein of ESPN on Friday, the Jazz, currently armed with over $13 million in cap space, are prioritizing point guard George Hill over big man Derrick Favors for an in-season contract extension.
Hill, 30, was acquired by the Jazz just this past offseason and has only appeared in seven of the team’s first 13 games this year. But this news isn’t exactly shocking considering what we heard earlier this month to go along with the fact that Hill is averaging 20.4 points and 5.0 assists per game in those seven appearances.
On the other hand, Favors, 25, has been with the team since 2011 but is a health risk who missed 20 games last season due to injury and who is currently sidelined indefinitely with a knee contusion. He also shares some skillset overlap with center Rudy Gobert, who the Jazz just inked to a four-year, $102 million extension, and has a recent lottery pick, Trey Lyles, stuck behind him on the depth chart.
Then again, Hill has a recent lottery selection (Dante Exum) coming off the bench behind him as well, so this will definitely be a situation worth monitoring, especially with this franchise centerpiece’s free agency also possibly beckoning.
