SLC Dunk - NBA Trade Rumor: Utah Jazz turned down potential trade for Dejounte Murray

[James Hansen]

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Keyonte George is more valuable to the Utah Jazz than Dejounte Murray

We got a little bit of information today about the trade talks the Utah Jazz had with the Atlanta Hawks regarding Dejounte Murray and what it would have cost. If you don’t remember, Jake Fischer reported those talks at the trade deadline. He had mentioned the Jazz when he reported the Hawks being 50/50 on whether they would trade Murray.

Today, we got some interesting info from Ben Anderson at KSL, who shed some light on what that trade would have cost the Jazz, and it was Keyonte George. It’s on the Jazz Notes Podcast and it’s a little before the 38:00 mark.

Here’s what Anderson said:

I will tell you that there was some talk about Dejounte Murray to the Jazz at the trade deadline and it was going to cost the Jazz Keyonte George and the Jazz said no.

This can be viewed in multiple ways, but the first is that the Jazz are very high on Keyonte George, as they should be. George showed incredible flashes in summer league and during the season, like when he hit 9 threes against the Golden State Warriors. That said, with all the vets on the team, there were a lot of missed opportunities for him to develop. Once the trade deadline came, it was clear the Jazz wanted to pivot to the development of their rookies, and George was given the reins to the offense as the full-time point guard. He still had moments, but it was a struggle for George at times as he adjusted to the increased responsibilities.

But that’s okay! That’s exactly what the Jazz wanted. Along with the benefit of rising in the draft it allowed George to play the point guard position, something he hadn’t done in College or the NBA. It allowed him to learn what it takes to take his game to the next level too. If George can learn that point guard position, or at the very least improve his playmaking, he can combine that with his scoring and become a special player for the Jazz in the future.

The other thing to consider is that this might be a sign of Utah's future. So much has been said about the Jazz potentially going big game hunting, but reports like this tell a different story. If we’re going on what the Jazz have actually done recently, we may be looking at a very youth-focused rebuild next season.

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