Donovan Mitchell Reveals He And Rudy Gobert Told Danny Ainge They Wanted To Run It Back: “Let’s Not Make This Big Blowup Trade”

Donovan Mitchell reveals that he and Rudy Gobert told Danny Ainge that they wanted to run it back in Utah and did not want to blow up the roster.

3 Min Read

When the Utah Jazz brought on Danny Ainge as their CEO in December 2021, you knew some big changes might be coming, especially if the Jazz had yet another postseason flameout and they sure did. They were bounced out of the playoffs in the first round by a Mavericks outfit that was without Luka Doncic for the first couple of games and that was it for Ainge.

He decided that a full-blown rebuild was needed as the Jazz shipped out their two biggest stars, Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. Gobert was the first to go as Ainge managed to get a massive draft haul for the 3-time Defensive Player of the Year from the Timberwolves and just under 2 months later, Mitchell was traded to the Cavaliers.


Donovan Mitchell Reveals He And Rudy Gobert Told Danny Ainge They Wanted To Run It Back

It was the right decision, as that team had run its course. The best shot the Jazz had at making a deep playoff run was in 2021 when they lost to the Clippers, even with Kawhi missing Games 5 and 6. It was time to blow it up, but Mitchell revealed on “The Old Man and The Three” podcast that he and Gobert wanted to stay.

(starts at 0:58 mark):

“We told Danny and them like, ‘Look, let’s not make this big blow-up trade,’ Everybody assumes I asked to trade Rudy. I said let’s run it back. Say what you want, we have our differences for sure, but both of us understand the value we have playing together as a group and what we could have possibly have done together at that time.”

It shouldn’t be too surprising that they felt they could achieve more and wanted to run it back, but it was clear to anyone on the outside that it was over for this group. The way the roster was constructed wasn’t going to ever lead to success in the postseason and a rebuild was very much in order.

During this episode, Mitchell also revealed that he felt he would end up on the Miami Heat as he was training with Bam Adebayo in the offseason. He is happy to be in Cleveland though, but they got off to a losing start as the Raptors beat them 108-105. Gobert, meanwhile, won his opener but shockingly lost to the Jazz tonight and in what seems like a mini-miracle, the team that everyone felt was in full-blown tank mode, finds themselves at 2-0.

Newsletter

Stay up to date with our newsletter on the latest news, trends, ranking lists, and evergreen articles

Follow on Google News

Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We appreciate your support.

Share This Article
Follow:
Gautam Varier is a staff writer and columnist for Fadeaway World from Mumbai, India. He graduated from Symbiosis International University with a Master of Business specializing in Sports Management in 2020. This educational achievement enables Gautam to apply sophisticated analytical techniques to his incisive coverage of basketball, blending business acumen with sports knowledge.Before joining Fadeaway World in 2022, Gautam honed his journalistic skills at Sportskeeda and SportsKPI, where he covered a range of sports topics with an emphasis on basketball. His passion for the sport was ignited after witnessing the high-octane offense of the Steve Nash-led Phoenix Suns. Among the Suns, Shawn Marion stood out to Gautam as an all-time underrated NBA player. Marion’s versatility as a defender and his rebounding prowess, despite being just 6’7”, impressed Gautam immensely. He admired Marion’s finishing ability at the rim and his shooting, despite an unconventional jump shot, believing that Marion’s skill set would have been even more appreciated in today’s NBA.This transformative experience not only deepened his love for basketball but also shaped his approach to sports writing, enabling him to connect with readers through vivid storytelling and insightful analysis.
Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *