Donovan Mitchell Continues To Mull Future With Utah Jazz
For six straight seasons, the Utah Jazz have made the NBA playoffs and they have slowly turned themselves into one of the better franchises in the Western Conference. After two straight years of playoff disappointment though and constant change happening within the organization, it appears as if things are beginning to trend downward and unravel for this small-market franchise.
On Sunday evening, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report that long-time Jazz head coach Quin Snyder was stepping down and resigning from his head coaching position, something that had long been rumored to happen by many across the league dating back to when Utah was eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks in the first-round of the playoffs.
Snyder has been with the Jazz since the start of the 2014-15 season and over his eight years with the organization, he took them to the postseason six different times and coached them to a 372-264 record. At 55-years-old, Quin Snyder will be receiving a ton of interest from other teams looking to fill their head coaching void, but it seems like he is prepared to sit out the 2022-23 season entirely.
It is also important to note that because he had a guaranteed year left on his contract with Utah, the Jazz have the right to block Snyder from coaching next season, per ESPN’s Tim McMahon.
Now, with Snyder gone, the Utah Jazz not only have to scramble to figure out who will replace one of the longest tenured coaches in the league, but this franchise continues to deal with unrest within the locker room.
Tensions within this organization have been around ever since the 2019-20 season when All-Star center Rudy Gobert became the first major athlete to test positive for COVID-19, promptly resulting in the NBA suspending play indefinitely and mostly every other professional league following suit. Gobert downplaying the virus prior to testing positive did not sit well with many in the Jazz locker room, including that of All-Star Donovan Mitchell.
While it has been said that Gobert and Mitchell have resolved their “small” dispute, things just don't seem right with this organization right now and Quin Snyder’s departure may just be the first domino to fall this offseason.
There has been a lot of talk about the Jazz looking to shake things up roster-wise as they continue to try and find ways to surround Donovan Mitchell with high-level talents, but Mitchell has had doubts the last several months about if this franchise can actually succeed given the trajectory they are heading in.
Being under contract through the 2024-25 season with a player option for the 2025-26 season, Mitchell’s only way out of Utah is via a trade, yet there are no indications, as of right now, pointing towards the All-Star requesting a trade this offseason. In regards to a possible Mitchell trade, the Jazz do not seem interested whatsoever in moving their All-Star guard either, as the Jazz currently view him as an “untouchable” asset, multiple league sources have confirmed to SI Fastbreak.
Unhappy with the departure of head coach Quin Snyder, Donovan Mitchell does want to be involved with the coaching search conducted by the Jazz front-office over the next several weeks, a search that could very much determine whether or not Utah will have to hit the "reset button" within the next few seasons.
According to ESPN, Mitchell was “surprised and disappointed” by Snyder’s exit from the organization. Should the lack of overall organizational success continue through the 2022-23 season, even with a new head coach, Donovan Mitchell could very much request a trade and become the most sought after player on the market in the 2023 offseason.
Keeping Mitchell and making sure he is happy are the two main priorities of the Utah Jazz as an organization right now, as GM Justin Zanik and owner Ryan Smith have no intentions of moving their All-Star at this time.
Their other All-Star in Rudy Gobert though has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate this offseason and rival teams have already been contacting the Jazz about a possible trade. Nothing is imminent and no real, formal offers have been made for the All-Star center, but there is a growing sense around league circles that Utah will show interest and look to move Gobert if it means they can add another elite-level talent on the offensive-end of the floor to pair with Mitchell.
The Jazz would like to keep Donovan Mitchell “in the loop” this offseason as to what the front-office is thinking, that way everyone can be on the same page as to how they can continue to build this organization into a championship contender.
As of right now, this front-office understands that they are still a few pieces away from being the real championship threat they want to be, which is why it is hard to believe that this roster will not look completely different and revamped entering next season.
Donovan Mitchell does not want to leave the Utah Jazz, as he takes a lot of pride in building something of his own and he loves the Salt Lake City area, but should they continue to give him the support he needs on the floor, Mitchell will not be afraid to seek opportunities elsewhere by requesting a trade.
This is going to be a very intriguing offseason for the Utah Jazz, one that could make or break the future success of their organization.
Making the most out of their coaching search is step number one in what has turned out to be a very twisted and confusing offseason plan for the Jazz.
