The Jazz and point guard George Hill engaged in renegotiation-and-extension discussions prior to Tuesday’s deadline, but were unable to reach an agreement. Shortly after news of those failed talks broke, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com reported that Hill had been advised that he’ll be able to land a better deal this summer than what Utah could offer now. MacMahon followed up on that tidbit today with an in-depth piece on Hill, writing that the veteran guard has a chance to receive a maximum-salary offer in free agency.
As MacMahon writes, a four-year max contract for Hill this summer would be worth in the neighborhood of $132MM, which is an extraordinary price for a player who is earning just $8MM this season and has never made an All-Star team. However, sources tell MacMahon that Hill’s camp believes he may able to command such a deal in the offseason.
After being acquired from the Pacers in an offseason trade, Hill has battled injuries this season, appearing in just 35 games for the Jazz. When he has been healthy though, he has been a major part of the club’s success, recording a career-high 17.6 PPG to go along with 4.1 APG and a .403 3PT%. Utah has a 25-10 record when Hill takes the court, compared to a 12-13 mark when he sits, a fact that hasn’t been lost on his teammates.
“I think the statistics for us as a team and for him individually kind of speak for themselves,” Gordon Hayward said of Hill. “He’s obviously come in and been a leader in the locker room, too, [and] a leader out on the court for us. He plays with toughness, plays with poise offensively. He’s a big part of why we’ve been successful this year.”
If the Jazz are unable to lock up Hill during July’s free agent period, Deron Williams may be a fallback option for the team, writes MacMahon. Utah inquired on its former star point guard prior to the trade deadline, when Williams was still a Maverick, and according to MacMahon, D-Will is “definitely intrigued by the possibility of finishing his career in Utah.”
For more on Hill, be sure to check out the latest piece from Michael Lee of The Vertical, who spoke to Hill about the trade that sent him from his hometown Pacers to the Jazz, and the impact he has had in Utah this season.
Wow all this talk on guys getting max deals. Who isn’t going to get a max deal?
I guess it’s just the timing if you’re a free agent at the right time and you’re a key player boom, Max deal.
Eventually there’ll be 2 or 3 Max guys and then a bunch of mid-level contracts. I think the NBA wants two or 3 stars on each team so there’s interest league-wide.