Getty Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz and Julius Randle of the New York Knicks.
With the Utah Jazz moving on from head coach Quin Snyder, the team is looking at a variety of teams as a replacement, and one of the names being looked at is New York Knicks associate head coach Johnnie Bryant.
There are several names being looked at, but Bryant could end up being one of the better candidates on the board considering his close ties to Donovan Mitchell and the Jazz organization.
The former University of Utah standout worked as an assistant with the Jazz from 2014 to 2020 before he departed to join the Knicks’ staff.
The New York Post’s Marc Berman suggests Bryant leaving for Utah could be a bad thing for the Knicks as it’d be one less tie Mitchell has to New York.
Bad News for NY?
GettyRudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz.
Factoring in who is on the coaching staff of a specific team doesn’t tend to play a huge role in where a player wants to play, but it doesn’t hurt to have well-liked names on the staff.
Berman says it’d be in the “best interest” of the Knicks to find a way to hang onto Bryant if they still want to lure Mitchell to New York.
“Ironically, it would be in the best interest of Knicks president Leon Rose to block the move since Bryant’s Utah return would eliminate the chance of Mitchell, a Westchester/Connecticut product, asking for a trade from the Jazz,” he wrote. “Mitchell is repped by Creative Artists Agency, which Rose used to manage.”
Despite the possible departure, Mitchell still has ties to the area with his father being employed within the New York Mets organization.
A source told Berman that Thibodeau is okay with letting Bryant go, so either he feels the coach isn’t needed to convince Mitchell to join the team or it’s just not a priority for him.
Is Mitchell Still a Possibility?
GettyDonovan Mitchell.
With the Utah Jazz undergoing some turnover, there seems to be some wiggle room in prying away a star.
However, it’s sounding like Rudy Gobert might be the player more likely to go. Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reports the Jazz have been active in shopping the three-time Defensive Player of the Year, and at the same time, they aren’t entertaining offers for Mitchell.
For what it’s worth, the Knicks could use a dominant shot-blocking center in the event that Mitchell Robinson leaves, but there’s nothing currently to indicate New York is interested in bringing on Gobert.
It’s tough to tell what the plan is for the Jazz at the moment, and a lot of it might come down to who they chose as a head coach. The team is set up for a playoff run, but the duo of Mitchell and Gobert have shown so far that they aren’t enough to carry them to the Finals.
What has become clear is this will be an important offseason for both the Knicks and the Jazz, so it’ll be interesting to see what comes out of all this. If the Knicks are able to land a player of Mitchell’s caliber, they would be in good shape going forward.
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