The Utah Jazz have been one of the most consistent teams in the Western Conference for quite some time now. With a superstar guard in Donovan Mitchell and 3-time DPOY Rudy Gobert as their star center, the Jazz, on paper, were one of the best teams in the West.
While their regular season performances looked scary, all of it generally fizzled out in the playoffs. With teams often exploiting Jazz’s dependence on Gobert’s defense, other teams often had an advantage over Utah. What made things worse was that the superstar duo was not on the best of terms. Given the friction between the duo and the mediocre performances in the playoffs, the franchise knew that they had to take a drastic decision.
The decision was made when Utah traded their star center Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves in return for multiple picks and some solid role players. Given how they traded away Gobert, many claimed that Donovan Mitchell might be on his way out as well.
But all of these rumors have been put to rest. According to longtime ESPN insider Brian Windhorst, the 3-time All-Star is unlikely to request any trade from the team.
Donovan Mitchell is unlikely to request a trade, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst
“On Mitchell's side, he's going to stand pat. He's not going to force any action right now.” pic.twitter.com/JFlvRikZCf
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 7, 2022
Mitchell might be the main man for Utah in the near future. Ever since he was drafted, the 6’1″ shooting guard has been impressive, especially in terms of his offensive acumen.
But the franchise now will be keen on strengthening defensively. For several years, it was Gobert who was the go-to man for the team in terms of defense. But with the big man now gone and even stoppers like Royce O’Neal leaving the team, Utah is in dire need of some defensive talent.
They also have enough assets to pull off a massive trade. Maybe trading for a superstar like Kevin Durant might be far-fetched, but pairing Mitchell with a two-way forward might be the key for the Jazz to succeed.
Given the plethora of picks they received, it is certainly possible that Utah might look to make a massive move in the trade market this offseason.
But the other possibility for the team can be to trade away their superstar guard and go for a full-blown rebuild next season. With them already having multiple picks, acquiring high lottery picks should not be a hassle as well. What do you think the Jazz will do?
