The Utah Jazz found a franchise cornerstone in Donovan Mitchell, but the talented rookie is preparing to contact an established superstar this offseason.
While appearing on The Woj Pod, Mitchell said he plans to recruit his friend Paul George to the Jazz when free agency begins.
“Yeah, he’s due, I think it’s July 1. I’m definitely going to have that conversation.”
George recently underwent knee surgery, but the procedure isn’t expected to have any impact on his value. And while he’s widely expected to choose between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers, the Jazz absolutely should make a call.
Most importantly, Utah can create the necessary cap space to chase George. To start, that would almost certainly involve losing unrestricted free agent Derrick Favors and trying to move Alec Burks’ contract.
Thought not a painless process, it’s doable for the front office. George would be an ideal fit in an already elite defense, and he’d provide primary floor-spacing and secondary ball-handling on the offensive end.
The NBA world shouldn’t expect George to join the Jazz, but that won’t be for a lack of trying by Mitchell and the team.