The Utah Jazz sent shockwaves around the NBA last week when they traded away two of their best players, three time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves and key role player Royce O’ Neal to the Brooklyn Nets. Now, according to Brian Windhorst, the Jazz’ star point guard Donovan Mitchell has raised questions with the team’s front office about the future plans of the organization.
According to Windhorst, Mitchell went to the front office and asked them what their plan was following the O’Neal and Gobert trades. Windhorst says the Jazz are trying to “do what’s right” for the organization, with executive Danny Ainge, in particular, believing that trading away Gobert and O’Neale was the right move for the Jazz.
Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
The departure of two of Utah’s core players sparked rumors of a complete overhaul of the team. Some fans have predicted that Utah might trade Mitchell away next, signaling a complete rebuild of the franchise for the next few years.
Since Mitchell entered the league in 2017, he has performed well as the go-to guy for the Jazz offense. He’s made a trip to the All-Star game in each of the past three seasons. In his five seasons in the NBA, he’s averaged 23.9 points and 4.5 assists.
The Jazz are coming off a disappointing finish to their 2021-2022 season, losing a first round playoff matchup against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. They’ve made the playoffs in every season since Mitchell entered the league.