The Utah Jazz have their point guard of the present, and now the future, too.
On Friday morning, ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported that the Jazz and Keyonte George have agreed to a five-year, $157.5 million contract extension.
The team officially announced the deal a few hours later, although terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Keyonte’s leadership, growth, and commitment to what we’re building make him an integral part of this franchise’s future,” Austin Ainge, Jazz president of basketball operations, said in a statement.
“His work ethic, ability to connect with teammates in the locker room and on the floor, and his love for this team and our fans have been incredible to watch. We’re thrilled he’s choosing to remain in Utah as a foundational piece as we continue chasing our ultimate goal: a championship.”
The contract will see George get paid $31.5 million annually over the life of it and will kick in following the 2026-27 season.
By coming to an agreement on a contract extension with the 22-year-old George now, the Jazz avoid a potential repeat of what happened with Walker Kessler this summer. George could have become a restricted free agent next summer like Kessler did this summer, meaning he could have signed a contract offer sheet with another team and the Jazz would have had to decide if they wanted to match it or not.
Some other notes on how this happened differently from the Kessler situation:
George’s contract extension is for the maximum of five years, whereas the one Kessler ultimately signed with the Los Angeles Lakers this summer is for four. Also, the average annual value is slightly less, as Kessler will be earning $32.5 million annually.
It all probably amounts to a good middle ground of sorts for both the Jazz and George. In his third season in the NBA in 2025-26, George took a huge leap, increasing his points per game average over the previous season from 16.8 to 23.6 and shot much better from all areas of the floor.
That said, as KSL’s Chandler Holt observed, George’s annual average salary during the contract extension will be similar to the likes of Immanuel Quickley, Jordan Poole, Derrick White, Jalen Suggs and Tyler Herro, players who have either shown flashes of stardom or are fringe All-Stars, but who aren’t in the NBA’s upper echelon of guards.
Certainly off the floor, George has become a big face of the Jazz franchise. This summer alone, he nearly became a volunteer assistant coach with the team before the setup was disallowed by the NBA, and he recently joined owner Ryan Smith, head coach Will Hardy and relatively new teammate Jaren Jackson Jr. as part of a group that went to Finland to train with Lauri Markkanen for several days.