“You can’t take anything for granted. Just like this year, if you lose a game or two and then it gets tough, there’s not much room to make up ground.”
This is what Donovan Mitchell said before the season started. Fast-forward one month later and the Jazz are on pace to win 50 games — but could he be traded in July?
Donovan Mitchell’s comments on the Utah Jazz could be a sign of his frustration with the team. The Jazz have been struggling recently, and it is possible that this will be the last season for him. Read more in detail here: donovan mitchell height.
The Utah Jazz were considered one of the best teams in the Western Conference before the start of the season. Donovan Mitchell and company are now as close to winning homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs as they are to the play-in round.
Tuesday was the low point in an otherwise great Jazz season. Utah lost 121-115 against the Los Angeles Clippers after blowing a 25-point lead. It was Utah’s fifth straight defeat.
Mitchell, the team’s regular All-Star, was visibly frustrated with himself and the Jazz after the defeat. But if Mitchell’s emotions spill over into the summer, things might become a lot worse for Utah.
After Tuesday’s defeat, Donovan Mitchell voiced his disappointment.
The Jazz were the Western Conference’s number one seed a year ago. However, the Clippers eliminated them in a six-game Western Conference Semifinals series, ending their season once again in heartbreak. Worse still, Utah blew a 25-point lead in Game 6 of that series, losing 131-119.
Needless to say, Mitchell couldn’t help but draw parallels to Game 6. In Tuesday’s defeat, the three-time All-Star had 33 points and six assists. Despite this, he was responsible for six of Utah’s 14 turnovers, which he admitted after the game.
“I’m not sure.” Mitchell told reporters, “It’s the same s***.” (h/t: FanNation). “I’m not sure, it feels the same.” It’s the same thing; in fact, it’s the exact same thing. We didn’t come back on defense, and we didn’t rebound because I had six mistakes and handed the ball over too much. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have anything to offer you right now.”
The Jazz are presently 19-20 on the road and 45-31 on the season. They’re two games behind the four-seed Dallas Mavericks and have the tiebreaker over the six-seed Denver Nuggets entering Wednesday. However, they are just two games ahead of the seven-seed Minnesota Timberwolves, who are now in the play-in round.
Mitchell’s career in Utah might come to an end if he has another postseason failure.
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Unless something unexpected happens, it doesn’t seem like the Jazz will have a lengthy postseason run. If that’s the case, one has to question how long Mitchell will be willing to commit to Utah.
There have been rumors about the 6-foot-1 guard settling down in Salt Lake City for the long haul since last year. On his Hoop Collective podcast in June, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said that co-owner Dwyane Wade was secretly anxious Mitchell wouldn’t want to stay with the team. Tim MacMahon came on Hoop Collective a few months later and floated a rumor that market size was important to the 25-year-old.
There’s also his friendship with Rudy Gobert, the center. While the two have played together for five seasons on the court, there have been rumours of growing animosity between them behind the scenes.
If Spida really wants to play in a larger market, the only way to persuade him otherwise is for him to ultimately break through and win a championship, as Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks have done. However, as Utah stutters past the finish line, the chances of doing so are dwindling by the day. Why should Mitchell be optimistic about the Jazz’s future if they are eliminated in the first round?
Mitchell is still a long way from being a free agent. The five-year, $163 million deal extension for the 2017 first-rounder is in its first year. However, as we all know in the NBA, a superstar’s deal isn’t enough to keep him in one place. If the gifted guard wishes to leave, his desire is likely to be granted.
Mitchell has already been courted by one team interested in luring him away from the Jazz.
There will be a slew of interested suitors if Mitchell’s apparent discontent leads to a trade request. One of those clubs will undoubtedly be the New York Knicks.
Executive VP William Wesley, according to Newsday’s Steve Popper, has his eyes set on Mitchell. Creative Artists Agency (CAA), where Wesley came to prominence before joining the Knicks, represents the All-Star. He’s also a New York City native, which is a huge plus for the Knicks.
Is there enough for the Knicks to make a trade for Mitchell? Utah already finds it difficult to part with its star, so it doesn’t want to part with him for pennies on the dollar. New York would have to include former All-Star Julius Randle, a mix of young players such as Obi Toppin and Cam Reddish, and first-round choices at the very least. Even still, the Jazz may not be satisfied.
Donovan Mitchell and the struggling Jazz will have a lot to look forward to in the coming months. An early playoff elimination will just add fuel to the fire that he wants out. The Knicks will be the first ones in line if that occurs.
Basketball Reference provided all statistics, while Spotrac provided contract data.
RELATED: The Utah Jazz Must Avoid Another NBA Playoff Failure or Face a Major Rebuilding
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