RealGM Basketball Wiretap

18 June 2026

• Keyonte George, Jazz Considered Unlikely To Sign Extension

  The Utah Jazz and guard Keyonte George are unlikely to agree on a rookie contract extension despite the franchise's confidence in his long-term future, sources told ESPN, with Utah's front office seeking further confirmation of his breakout 2025-26 campaign before committing to a maximum-level deal.

  George, who struggled through his first two NBA seasons, averaged 23.6 points and 6.1 assists per game last season while posting a .609 true shooting percentage, a dramatic improvement in efficiency that repositioned him as a core piece of Utah's rebuilding effort.

  While the Jazz remain open to extension discussions, the organization is not yet comfortable approaching the rookie extension maximum without seeing George sustain that level of production into next season.

  As with restricted free agent center Walker Kessler, Utah's front office is willing to allow George to enter restricted free agency if the two sides cannot reach an agreement, giving the Jazz the right to match any outside offer he receives.

  George's situation is further complicated by the upcoming NBA Draft, where the Jazz hold the No. 2 overall pick. Top prospect Darryn Peterson, projected as a shooting guard who could play point guard, shares the same agency as George. Utah's front office has maintained internally that the two can coexist on the court, pointing to playoff teams that successfully deploy multiple ball handlers simultaneously.

  George is represented by Jason Ranne of The Team (formerly Wasserman).

• Walker Kessler, Jazz Far Apart Despite Five-Year, $140M Offer

  Walker Kessler and the Utah Jazz remain far apart on contract talks despite a five-year $140 million offer, sources told ESPN. The figure would represent the largest contract ever given to a center who had not yet earned an All-Star selection.

  Kessler, 7-foot-2, established himself as one of the NBA's top shot blockers and rebounders before a shoulder injury limited him to five games last season. In 2024-25, he ranked second in the league in blocks (2.4) and fifth in rebounds (12.2) while averaging 11.1 points and shooting 66.3% from the floor. Utah holds the right to match any offer sheet Kessler signs as a restricted free agent.

  Sources also expressed doubt that the Jazz will reach an agreement on a rookie extension with guard Keyonte George, despite the franchise's belief in his long-term role. George averaged 23.6 points and 6.1 assists per game in 2025-26 while posting a .609 true shooting percentage after two difficult early seasons. Utah's front office wants to see him build on that performance before committing to a figure near the rookie extension maximum.

  As with Kessler, the Jazz are comfortable allowing George to enter restricted free agency if no extension is reached.

  Utah also holds the No. 2 overall pick in next week's NBA Draft. Top prospect Darryn Peterson of Kansas is not planning to visit the Jazz, choosing instead to meet only with the Washington Wizards, who own the first pick. Fellow top prospect AJ Dybantsa of BYU has visited both organizations.

• Darryn Peterson Looking To Avoid Potential Positional Overlap With Keyonte George On Jazz

  Darryn Peterson's camp is worried about a potential positional overlap with Keyonte George should the Utah Jazz draft him with the No. 2 pick, according to Jake Fischer of The People's Insider.

  Peterson does not plan on meeting with any other team after visiting the Wizards, who hold the No. 1 pick.

  It was also reported that the Jazz are torn between selecting AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer or Darryn Peterson.

  The Jazz view George as a franchise cornerstone and are eligible to sign him to a rookie scale extension this summer.

  George averaged 23.6 points and 6.1 assists on the year.

• Jazz 'Genuinely Torn' Between AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson At No. 2 Pick

  The Utah Jazz remain "genuinely torn" between selecting AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer or Darryn Peterson with the second overall pick in next week's NBA Draft, league sources told The Athletic, with all three prospects standing out in distinct ways through the evaluation process.

  Dybantsa and Boozer have completed private workouts with Utah. Peterson canceled his scheduled session this week amid reports he believes he will go first overall to the Washington Wizards, who hold the top pick. The Memphis Grizzlies select third.

  The Wizards similarly have not signaled which player they are leaning towards selecting at No. 1.

  The Jazz were not caught off guard by Peterson's decision to skip his workout and have made clear internally they would not hesitate to select him if he grades out as the top available player. Utah navigated a similar dynamic last year with Ace Bailey, whose camp attempted to steer him toward Washington. The Jazz drafted Bailey at No. 5 without hesitation.

  Through individual evaluations, each prospect has distinguished himself in different areas. Dybantsa, a 6-foot-9 wing from BYU, offers rare physical tools and versatility at the guard and forward positions. Peterson draws Utah's interest for his high-volume scoring ability. Boozer's passing, rebounding and processing of the game have impressed the organization despite a positional overlap with Jaren Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen already on the roster.

  Peterson's fit in Utah is considered the strongest of the three landing spots at the top of the draft. The Jazz envision him as a shooting guard capable of playing point guard, and the team currently lacks a starting-caliber option at that position. Some concern exists within Peterson's camp about sharing an agency with Jazz point guard Keyonte George, though Utah's front office is firmly confident the two can coexist on the court.

• Walker Kessler Frustrated With Jazz Over Restricted Free Agency Process

  Walker Kessler has grown unhappy with the front office of the Utah Jazz over the handling of his restricted free agency, league sources told Sam Amick of The Athletic.

  Kessler, 24, was already frustrated after the Jazz declined to offer him an extension last summer. Sources say his discontent has deepened as Utah uses the restricted free agency process to limit his market, leaving him strongly considering a future elsewhere.

  His options starting July 1 include signing an offer sheet with another team that Utah could match, pursuing a sign-and-trade, or accepting the qualifying offer of $14.6 million for one season as a path to unrestricted free agency next summer.

  Kessler remains one of the most sought-after rim-protecting big men in the league despite a torn left labrum that limited him to five games last season. The Los Angeles Lakers, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks have all made significant pushes to acquire him in the past.

  The Pacers pursued Kessler at the February trade deadline before pivoting to a deal for Ivica Zubac, which netted the Los Angeles Clippers two first-round picks, one second-rounder, Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson.

  The Jazz already carry a combined $95 million commitment to big men Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. for next season, which sources say is driving their caution around Kessler's contract.

  The tension arrives at an awkward moment for Utah, which holds the No. 2 pick in next week's draft but has been unable to secure a workout with top prospect Darryn Peterson. The situation echoes last year, when Ace Bailey also declined a pre-draft visit before the Jazz selected him fifth overall.

  Sources say Kessler had long expected to be a long-term piece of Utah's rebuild under owner Ryan Smith. One rival executive identified the Jazz, along with the champion New York Knicks, as among the few teams with enough frontcourt depth to counter San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama. Whether Kessler remains part of that equation is now uncertain.

• Darryn Peterson Limits Pre-Draft Visits To Wizards

  Top NBA draft prospect Darryn Peterson has visited the Washington Wizards, who hold the No. 1 pick in next week's draft, and does not plan to meet with any other team, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania and Jeremy Woo.

  Lottery teams have taken note of Peterson's decision to grant access only to Washington. The Utah Jazz own the No. 2 pick and will not be dissuaded by Peterson's decision if they identify him as their preferred selection. The move comes as Peterson and BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, the presumed top prospect, both believe they will be selected first overall, according to sources.

  Peterson, a 6-foot-5 guard from Kansas, averaged 20.2 points per game as a freshman, the most in program history. He missed 11 games due to injury, the most for a projected No. 1 pick since Kyrie Irving played just 11 games at Duke before being selected in 2011.

  Peterson told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne in May that severe cramping caused his injury issues. He said doctors determined after the season that high doses of creatine contributed to the condition.

  Washington finished last season 17-65 and won the draft lottery in May after holding the best odds for the top pick. The Wizards have not won a playoff series since the 2017-18 season.

  Peterson wants to play point guard in the NBA, but does not view potentially joining Trae Young with the Wizards as an issue.

  The first round of the draft begins at 8 p.m. ET on June 23.

• AJ Dybantsa Has Met With Wizards, Jazz

  BYU forward AJ Dybantsa has visited both the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz, who hold the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in next week's NBA draft, according to sources cited by ESPN's Shams Charania and Jeremy Woo.

  Dybantsa has been the presumed favorite to go No. 1 overall since February. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 25.5 points per game as a freshman, leading the nation in scoring and becoming just the third freshman ever to do so. He is the first to accomplish the feat since Trae Young at Oklahoma in 2018.

  Dybantsa has strong ties to Utah, having played his senior year of high school at Utah Prep before spending last season at BYU. Both he and fellow top prospect Darryn Peterson believe they will be selected first overall, according to sources. Peterson has only met with the Wizards and has so far chosen not to meet with the Jazz.

  The first round of the draft begins at 8 p.m. ET on June 23.

• Knicks Were 'Very Close' To Donovan Mitchell Trade In 2022 After Jalen Brunson Signing

  The New York Knicks were very close to trading for Donovan Mitchell in 2022, just months after signing Jalen Brunson, but ultimately did not complete the deal, reports ESPN's Ramona Shelburne

  Knicks' executives debated whether Mitchell and Brunson could coexist in the backcourt. Sources said opinions differed internally on whether adding another ball-dominant guard would limit Brunson's role as the team's primary option.

  Leon Rose ultimately chose not to meet the Utah Jazz's high asking price for Mitchell. He instead preserved the team's assets to build a roster suited to Brunson's skill set as he had enough left over to trade for Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns.

  The Jazz traded Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers and has been eliminated in the playoffs twice by the Knicks over the past four years.

  The decision marked a departure from the franchise's history of aggressive trades for star players, including the 2011 deal for Carmelo Anthony that cost New York significant draft capital.

  Rose has not publicly explained his reasoning for passing on Mitchell. The approach drew scrutiny during periods when the roster struggled, but support grew as the team's long-term build paid off.

  Brunson went on to become the centerpiece of a Knicks roster that won the 2026 NBA championship, capturing Finals MVP honors in the process.

• Grizzlies Lose Full Value Of Jazz Pick As NBA Lottery Reform Applies Restrictions To Traded Picks

  The Memphis Grizzlies acquired what they believed was an unprotected first-round pick from the Utah Jazz in February's Jaren Jackson Jr. trade. However, that pick is now top-five protected under the NBA's newly approved "3-2-1" lottery reform.

  The restriction stems from Utah landing in the top five in both the 2025 and 2026 lotteries. Under the new system, prohibitions against landing in the top five in three consecutive years travel with the pick rather than the team, meaning Memphis now holds a less valuable asset than the one it negotiated.

  The league did not grandfather the Grizzlies' pick or similar traded picks, a decision that drew immediate scrutiny. NBA executive vice president Evan Wasch defended the approach on a conference call with reporters Thursday.

  "If you were to grandfather traded picks, you essentially differentiate those picks as being more valuable than all other picks," said Wasch. "That didn't feel like a systematically fair way to go about this."

  The league informed all teams of this mechanism before Thursday's vote. Memphis was not the only franchise potentially affected. The Dallas Mavericks' situation with a 2027 top-two protected pick traded to Charlotte and the Houston Rockets' unprotected pick swap with Brooklyn were also cited as examples subject to the same restrictions.

• AJ Dybantsa Not Considered Lock To Be Picked At No. 1 By Wizards

  AJ Dybantsa is not currently viewed as a lock to go first overall to the Washington Wizards, according to rival teams. Unlike some drafts, there is no true consensus top prospect in the 2026 NBA draft as arguments can be made for Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer and Caleb Wilson. Because of the lack of clarity on how those clear top-4 prospects should be ordered, there is a greater possibility of teams trading within that tier.

  Dybantsa overtook Darryn Peterson during their freshman seasons as the safest pick at the top of the draft.

  Dybantsa has been strongly linked with the Utah Jazz due to Ryan Smith's close ties to the BYU program. The Jazz could offer the Wizards a trade package to move up, but that is speculative at this point. Utah could maintain their future assets and simply stay at No. 2 to draft either Dybantsa or Peterson at No. 2. Peterson is a cleaner fit with Utah's existing frontcourt of Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Walker Kessler.