George Hill was involved in one of the offseason’s biggest trades, a three-way deal that sent him to the Jazz in exchange for the 12th overall pick. So far, he’s thrived in what he describes as a great situation in Utah, telling Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders that he has the ball in his hands much more than he did in Indiana.
“I have the coach’s green light to be aggressive and take shots,” said the Jazz’s starting point guard. “Not saying I didn’t have the green light in Indy, so no disrespect to the coach there, but it’s a little different. When I have the ball in my hands a lot more, I’m not in the corner a lot, just taking advantage of the opportunity that’s given to me.”
Hill is eligible for an extension this season, and for unrestricted free agency in 2017, but even with his stock seemingly on the rise, he tells Scotto that he’s not thinking about his next contract right now: “I’m going to let [Jazz GM] Dennis Lindsey and the front office handle that and my agents. My focus is just to play basketball and try to get us to the playoffs.”
Here’s more from out of the Northwest:
- The Nuggets have resisted multiple trade overtures for Danilo Gallinari over the last two years, sources tell Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, who suggests that Denver is well positioned to package a handful of players and/or picks for an All-Star. O’Connor envisions John Wall as an ideal target for the Nuggets, though he acknowledges that there are no indications the Wizards point guard is available.
- Although the Thunder are off to a good start after a tumultuous offseason, the team isn’t sitting back and relaxing, content with its current roster, writes Royce Young of ESPN.com. As Young observes, the Oklahoma City roster will likely undergo some additional changes during and after this season, as the club continues to retool around Russell Westbrook.
- Former Jazz point guard Marcus Paige, who is one of just three 2016 draft picks who was waived by the team that selected them, admits that he wasn’t surprised about landing in the D-League and discusses his goals for his time with the Salt Lake City Stars (Twitter link via Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune).