Jazz guard Keyonte George has earned a major vote of confidence from Utah, and the timing says plenty about where the franchise thinks it’s headed. After a third season that looked a lot more like a breakout than a follow-up, George landed a five-year, $155MM extension that cements him as the team’s long-term guard alongside number two overall pick .
The numbers tell the story. George bumped his scoring from 16.8 to 23.6 while keeping his efficiency intact, a jump that turned him from a young guard with promise into a core piece the Jazz were ready to pay.
The 16th overall pick in 2023 had been uneven across his first two seasons, and in 2024/25 he was still bouncing between roles, starting only part-time and coming off the bench in 37 of his 65 games. Now, the organization is betting that the next step comes with more stability.
Team president Austin Ainge said the extension was about more than just locking in a player - it was about keeping the whole group pointed in the same direction as Utah tries to climb back into the playoff conversation.
“ We’re trying to compete at a higher level,” he said recently, per Chandler Holt of KSL Sports (Twitter link). “ That was part of the motivation.
We didn’t want Keyonte worried about stats or a contract. As we turn the corner, shots and stats can go up and down.
We just want the whole team focused on winning.”
Around the Northwest Division, Vit Krejci is trying to turn a shaky finish with the Trail Blazers into a fresh start. Joe Freeman writes for The Oregonian that Krejci wants to re-establish himself this season as the kind of wing shooter and defender Portland can use.
His contract isn’t fully guaranteed until opening night, but he’s expected to arrive at camp with a real shot at the backup wing job. Freeman also notes that the Blazers value his passing at 6’8″, along with his shooting and versatile defense.
Oklahoma City, meanwhile, is heading into 2026/27 with a depth chart that looks a lot different than the one fans have gotten used to. The Thunder lost three rotation players in Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe, then added four rookies, including lottery pick big man Aday Mara. They still have one roster spot open, though Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman reports they’re unlikely to use it on a move that would push the team further into the luxury tax.
There are several battles worth watching once camp opens. One is the split at shooting guard between Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell.
Another is the third-string guard race, where Nikola Topic and rookie Bennett Stirtz will be in the mix. The backup center spot also has intrigue, with Mara and Thomas Sorber competing after Sorber missed his rookie season while recovering from a torn ACL.
In Denver, the focus is on whether the Nuggets can finally get back to the level they reached in 2023. After winning the championship that year, they’ve had trouble keeping the roster together and have spent much of the time since trying to recover from last season’s injury problems. Vinny Benedetto of the Denver Gazette writes that each starter has a question hanging over him as the team tries to push forward again.
For Jamal Murray, the issue is whether he can once again look like the playoff force he was during the title run, when he averaged more than 26 points per game. Over the last three postseasons, that number has dropped to 21.7.
Christian Braun’s question is simpler: can he prove the outside shot is real? And the biggest one of all belongs to Nikola Jokic - whether he’s still the best player in the world.
In Other News...
Thunder Already Have A Jared McCain Problem To Solve
Jared McCain arrives in Oklahoma City as one more intriguing piece in a backcourt that already has plenty of traffic. The Thunder like having options, and McCains shot-making gives them another guard to evaluate, but his size limitations and fit alongside the rest of the group make him a less straightforward long-term answer than some of the other names on the roster.
The bigger issue is what comes next, because the Thunder are also staring at future decisions for Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell while trying to preserve the kind of flexibility that has defined their build. Add in rookie Bennett Stirtz and his team-friendly contract structure, and McCain starts to look less like a locked-in piece and more like a movable asset if Oklahoma City decides it needs to address another area of the roster, especially up front. [Read more 🡒]
Thunders 2027 Draft Edge Could Create A Fascinating Roster Question
The Thunders long-term draft position already has people looking ahead to the 2027 class, and for good reason. Oklahoma City is projected to be sitting on a rare pile of first-round capital, with outside projections tying future picks from the Clippers, Nuggets and Spurs into that haul, and that kind of asset base naturally opens the door to a bigger question about how the roster will be shaped two years from now.
Analyst Derek Park has even gone a step further by mapping those picks to three highly regarded incoming freshmen in Branch, Landrew and Goosby, each bringing a different physical profile and skill set into the conversation. It is the sort of projection that fits Oklahoma Citys patient team-building style, but it also sets up a fascinating roster puzzle: if the Thunder really do add that much young talent in one draft, how much room will there be to fit it all in? [Read more 🡒]
Jared McCain Suddenly Carries More Weight For A Thunder Contender
The Thunders summer roster changes have put more attention on Jared McCain, who arrived midseason from Philadelphia and now looks positioned to matter even more in Oklahoma Citys rotation. With the team reshaping its depth, McCains shooting has taken on added importance for a group that wants to keep its offense balanced and difficult to guard.
For Oklahoma City, the appeal is straightforward: McCain gives them another player who can stretch the floor and add points without needing the ball to dominate possessions. His role figures to be tied closely to how the Thunder fill the openings left by other offensive pieces, and that makes his fit more than just a nice bonus heading into the new season. [Read more 🡒]