Jazz lock up Keyonte George with well-deserved contract extension

Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jazz lock up Keyonte George with well-deserved contract extension

By Andrew Wright | Last updated Sep 18, 2026 1:06 PM ET

The Utah Jazz aren't far away from getting back to the level of competitiveness they showed when Donovan Mitchell was their superstar.

Utah is among the youngest teams in the NBA, and one of those young stars was rewarded Friday with a massive contract extension to remain with the franchise.

Keyonte George is staying with Utah Jazz

According to ESPN's NBA insider Shams Charania, the Jazz and point guard Keyonte George have agreed on a five-year, $157.5 million rookie-scale extension.

George was drafted with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and has only gotten better each season of his career.

Last year marked his third season in the NBA and it was the best one yet. George had a breakout season, as he averaged 23.6 points per game and shot 37.1% from three-point range. He also set career highs in steals (1.1) and assists (6.1) per game.

George's agent Jason Ranne of THE•TEAM on Friday wrapped up months of offseason negotiations with Jazz President Austin Ainge, finalizing the deal with no player or team options after a breakout year in which George averaged 23.6 points. https://t.co/m3U1zFHN0b
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 18, 2026

Utah Jazz have a sneaky good team headed into the season

George will be one of the starters in the backcourt for Utah along with rookie Darryn Peterson. The Jazz also have an outstanding frontcourt that will consist of Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson and Jusuf Nurkic.

Utah also has excellent depth with players such as Ace Bailey, Isaiah Collier and Jaxson Hayes coming off the bench.

It certainly isn't the best roster in the NBA, but there are a lot of really talented players that, if they mesh well together, could surprise a lot of people and get the team to the playoffs for the first time since the 2021-22 season.

Andrew Wright

Andrew "Dew" Wright graduated from Charleston Southern University with a degree in Communication Studies. He is a lifelong Chicago Cubs and Washington Commanders fan.

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