Getty Utah Jazz stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell are working through some issues.
When reports first surfaced of possible friction between Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert in Utah, there was one logical trade destination on everyone’s minds: the Miami Heat. Pat Riley would move heaven and earth to steal Mitchell away.
Mitchell grew up a Miami Heat fan as he watched LeBron James and Dwyane Wade win multiple championships in South Beach. His game has been compared to Wade’s and he talked about how much the 2006 Finals MVP “impacted my life and my career growing up.”
Ironically, Wade is a minority owner of the Jazz so leaving Utah might not be on his immediate to-do list. And Mitchell downplayed any talk of tension with Gobert following a recent shootaround.
“No, no, no, no. We’re good,” Mitchell told Sarah Todd. “That’s not true.”
Gods Got Me🙏🏾💯
Still, reports have lingered about Mitchell’s unhappiness dating back to last season. The newest one came courtesy of ESPN’s Brian Windhorst who said the two were “at each other’s throats.” His colleague, Tim MacMahon, added: “It’s back to being passively aggressively awkward.”
Report: Donovan Mitchell’s relationship with Rudy Gobert is back to being ‘passively aggressively awkward’: ‘There’s some drama here’ t.co/7qrvGrBIxy
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Mitchell Linked to Heat, Knicks
If Mitchell seriously wanted out of Utah — a very big if since the Jazz are 32-21, fourth in the Western Conference — then he would have plenty of trade options. According to Greg Sylvander, the Miami Heat would be his first choice followed by the New York Knicks as a “more distant second.”
I believe this is well documented & relatively obvious but…
I can confirm that if Donovan Mitchell were to ever ask out of Utah, it’s believed Miami would be his first choice and New York a more distant second as preferred destinations according to a league source.
Utah had endured a brutal 2-7 stretch from January 17 through January 30, but things are turning around in the desert. The Jazz has won two straight games, including back-to-back wins over Denver (February 2) and Brooklyn (February 4). Mitchell isn’t going anywhere prior to the trade deadline on February 10 and it would take a massive tank job – or another dustup with Gobert – to get things to the point of no return.
Jazz Star Slams ‘Big Market’ Rumors
Mitchell already slammed rumors that his long-term desire was to play for a “big market” team. The 25-year-old guard has spent his entire NBA career in Utah.
They drafted him 13th overall in 2017 and then inked him to a five-year, $163 million contract in 2021. Mitchell has a player option in 2025, but he doesn’t appear ready to move on from the only franchise he’s ever known.
“Y’all like to talk a lot when we lose. I don’t understand,” Mitchell told Jazz insider Ben Anderson on January 15. “Y’all like to just keep all the negative stuff when we start losing, when we’re winning there’s nothing said.”
After the loss in Detroit, @NBASarah asked Donovan Mitchell what the biggest issue is with the Jazz perimeter defense. His response is honest and the frustration evident.
“We’re foolin’ ourselves if we say we are going to win a championship and we have a night like tonight.”
The Jazz, not unlike every other team in the NBA, hears the criticism when they aren’t winning. They block it out and look ahead to the next game on the schedule. Their goals don’t change.
“We’re trying to win a championship, so I’ll just cut you off and answer that right there,” Mitchell said, via KSL Sports. “That’s the goal and we’re not going to stop until we do. We have a great group of guys and this stretch doesn’t dictate who we are as a team.”