Interpreting Donovan Mitchell's Reaction to Quin Snyder Stepping Down as Jazz HC

The Utah Jazz announced on Sunday that Quin Snyder won’t be coaching the Jazz in 2022-23 and beyond. With the closure of that chapter, a whole new set of questions emerge.

I’m talking about the elephant in the room. What does this mean for Donovan Mitchell?

After the news, Mitchell’s “demeanor” was leaked and it did more than just raise a few eyebrows.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported Mitchell's reaction to Snyder's resignation as Jazz head coach.

“In aftermath of Quin Snyder’s departure as Utah Jazz coach, All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell is described as 'unsettled, unnerved and wondering what it means for the franchise’s future,'" Wojnarowski reported.

ESPN Sources: In aftermath of Quin Snyder’s departure as Utah Jazz coach, All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell is described as “unsettled, unnerved and wondering what it means for the franchise’s future.”https://t.co/hR6H1tKGX0
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 5, 2022

Mitchell was also described as “surprised” and “disappointed.”

I’m not going to act like I have the inside intel to know exactly what’s going on inside Mitchell’s head. But I do have common sense. Something tells me that there’s a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to Mitchell’s reported reaction leaked to ESPN.

Leading up to Sunday, the consensus was that Snyder was most likely gone. Mitchell's remarks paint a picture that he was taken off-guard and that feels very disingenuous. Could the All-Star be deflecting some responsibility for Snyder’s move to step down?

One thing stands out in Snyder's statement released by the Jazz.

“I strongly believe they need a new voice to continue to evolve," Snyder said.

Snyder has always been a “pro’s pro” when it comes to dealing with the media and he seems to be shouldering the responsibility for an underachieving group. Perhaps Mitchell was leading a group that wanted to do it their way and Snyder had hit a crossroads.

Another question that needs to be asked is why were Mitchell's thoughts even leaked? It feels a lot like posturing to me.

Could Mitchell be in the process of stockpiling grievances to demand a trade? He's never come out and said that he wants out of Utah, but it sure is starting to feel a lot like the summer that Gordon Hayward left. At the very least, it feels like Mitchell's got one foot in, and one foot out the door.

The next question: if we’re going down a path where Mitchell doesn’t want to be in Utah, how much leverage does he really have?

Honestly, not much. Mitchell is still under team control for three more years. The Jazz can play “the wait and see” game and hope that things turn around and there's not much Mitchell could do about it.

The team is not going to give up on a player that has a ceiling of being a top-5 entity in the league. As Mitchell gets closer to being an unrestricted free agent, though, he’ll have more leverage. We’re just not there yet.

All this being said, maybe Mitchell's comments should just be taken at face value. It wouldn’t be the first time a player's thoughts have been overanalyzed or taken out of context.

One thing is for sure — this summer just got a lot more interesting. So keep refreshing your Twitter feed and keep it locked here with us at the Frozen Rope for all things Jazz.

Whether it’s Rudy Gobert getting traded, or Mitchell trying to force his way out of Utah, it feels like something big is on the horizon.

Follow Patrick on Twitter @pbyrnes_patrick.