In the aftermath of Quin Snyder’s exit, Donovan Mitchell finds himself considering his long-term future in Utah.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the young star was a huge supporter of coach Snyder and has grown ‘unnerved’ with the direction of his team this summer. Now, fans are wondering if Mitchell will be the next to leave the Jazz organization.
(via ESPN):
Amid the reverberations of Quin Snyder’s departure after eight seasons as the Utah Jazz coach, All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell is described as “unsettled, unnerved and wondering what it means for the franchise’s future,” sources told ESPN on Sunday.
Mitchell considered Snyder a significant part of his reasoning for committing to a five-year maximum contract extension in 2020, and Snyder’s decision to step away on Sunday has left Mitchell “surprised and disappointed,” sources told ESPN.
Mitchell remains fond of Snyder and accepts his reasons for stepping down, but he’s spending the immediate aftermath of Snyder’s decision trying to process what the coach’s loss means in the larger scope for the organization and himself, sources said.
ESPN Sources: In aftermath of Quin Snyder’s departure as Utah Jazz coach, All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell is described as “unsettled, unnerved and wondering what it means for the franchise’s future.”https://t.co/hR6H1tKGX0
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 5, 2022
Rumors of Don’s potential departure have been spreading for weeks now. Following his team’s first-round elimination against Dallas and the exit of Snyder, the future has been clouded in uncertainty:
“Look, we’re betting on the recent history of the league. And every year the recent history of the league is ‘superstar x decides he doesn’t want to be somewhere’ and it ends way faster than you think,” said Bill Simmons. “In this case, there are some teams that could do some pretty big packages. You also have Danny Ainge there I think they’ll try to trade Gobert first. But they will not bring this team back. This team now, it reminds me of this mid-2010s Clippers teams where it’s like alright, this is done.”
After so many failed seasons, there is a good case to be made for the Jazz to start over. Some would argue that trading Mitchell and Gobert for picks and young players is the best thing they could do.
Now, with Quin Snyder gone, that outcome seems much more likely. Either way, we will find out soon enough if this team stays intact.