As speculated upon throughout the Utah Jazz’s offseason, their head coach of eight years, Quin Snyder, has departed from the team. While not being fired, he decided to step down from his position, as the Jazz have struggled to make the jump from perennial playoff team to championship contender.
This could be the first domino in a very active offseason for Utah. The dynamic duo of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert have been in trade rumors all season, with the Jazz not advancing past the first round once again.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the superstar guard isn’t exactly happy that Snyder left the team so suddenly, as he’s being described as “unsettled and unnerved”. This could lead to a pathway for Mitchell to leave the Jazz after five years with the franchise.
If the Louisville product was indeed caught off-guard by these developments, he certainly has a right to be unhappy, as in this age of player empowerment, the Jazz’s front office should include their star player in significant decisions. However, this could all be a ploy, with Mitchell’s camp seeing this as an opportunity to spin the narrative in his favor.
Snyder is the only coach Mitchell’s had in the NBA, and with him leaving, he can easily say he’s done with the franchise. It’s an easy excuse to force his way onto another team, a move analysts and scouts were projecting throughout the season.
However, for the sake of conversation, let’s say he’s telling the complete truth. Releasing this information to Woj could be a power play to have a major say in the next coach of the Utah Jazz. If this is true, it would likely lead to a trade of Rudy Gobert, as the franchise has to undergo some sort of shake-up.
The list of potential candidates has already come out via Shams Charania:
Sources: Among initial candidates for Utah’s open head coaching job: Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant, Jazz assistant Alex Jensen, former Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts, Celtics assistant Will Hardy and Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 5, 2022
Mitchell reportedly has a strong connection to Knicks’ assistant Johnnie Bryant, who has been instrumental in developing the young talent in New York. Ultimately, both need a new outlook on their roster, and an overall culture shift to help move to the next step.
Whether that involves a trade of Donovan Mitchell or not, that’s up to the star himself. He’ll have his fair share of suitors if he decides he wants out of Utah, but would likely be welcomed back if he so wishes.
And with the introduction of Danny Ainge into the Jazz’s front office, we know the price for Mitchell will be extraordinarily high.