Utah Jazz: No plans to trade Donovan Mitchell or Rudy Gobert
The Utah Jazz don’t have any plans to trade either Donovan Mitchell or Rudy Gobert, despite their reported tension
The Utah Jazz was one of the most intriguing teams in the Western Conference heading into the NBA hiatus.
Led by Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, and their deep supporting cast, the Jazz was sitting in the fourth seed of the West at 41-23 and just 1.5 games back of the Denver Nuggets for the third seed and three games back of the LA Clippers for the second seed.
However, over the last month, there has been much doubt in the future of the Jazz. Not only due to the potential of a lost season (with the league still on pause, with no real sign of a resumption anytime soon) but also because it was reported a couple of weeks ago that there was a clear tension between their stars, Mitchell and Gobert.
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In a report that stemmed from The Athletic (subscription required), the relation between the two was described as “not salvageable.” However, according to a recent report from Tony Jones of The Athletic (subscription required), it’s now being reported that the Jazz doesn’t have any interest in trading either of their stars.
On one hand, the hope is that Gobert and Mitchell will be able to repair the damage that has been done. On the other, both Gobert and Mitchell, both in or entering their primes, are too valuable to move in the trade market.
Gobert, 27, will be entering the final year of his contract next season but will almost certainly be re-signed by the team. Mitchell is just 23 years old and is already a certified star in the NBA. Mitchell was averaging 24 points, four assists, and four rebounds before the work stoppage.
He’s also just beginning to scratch the surface on the player that he can be in the NBA. It’s too early to throw the towel in on Mitchell, and probably this duo. The core of Mitchell and Gobert has never made it beyond the second round of the playoffs, but there was growing optimism with the supporting pieces this season.
The Jazz was not favored to emerge from the West this season, but there’s no question that the team was going to be a headache come playoff time.
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If the Jazz believes that it’s too early to diverge from the big duo of Mitchell and Gobert, that’s perfectly fine. There’s a good chance that we haven’t seen them peak. Though, re-signing Gobert is going to cost a pretty penny. If they’re fine with that, all power to them.