Last week, Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell downplayed a rift with Rudy Gobert and the speculation that he wants out. Mitchell just doubled down with a strong statement on his future to Tony Jones of The Athletic.
Mitchell sees the rumors out there about him and understands it's the nature of the game, but he's not focused on it:
“I’m at a point now where it’s the NBA, this is what it is,” Mitchell said. “People are going to write things. If I have to respond every five minutes to a story, then I’m taking away from my teammates, and I’m taking away from my happiness. I love this team, and we want to find a way to win as a group. I’m focused on my team. As long as my teammates and my coaches know my intentions, then that’s what it is. But I’m not going to allow articles to deter me from my main goal. I love this group. So, let’s find a way to do it.”
The latest bit of scuttlebutt comes from Sports Illustrated's Howard Beck, who relayed that other NBA executives are gearing up for potential trade requests from the likes of Mitchell, Damian Lillard and Zion Williamson. While none of these players have actually asked out, the noise surrounding them is loud, so other teams are preparing for the possibility of one or more of them hitting the trade market.
There have been other rumors out there about Mitchell and the Jazz, despite the fact that he's in just the first year of a five-year extension. The Mitchell-Gobert relationship hasn't always been great, and Utah's playoff failures are well-chronicled at this point. Falling short again could make Mitchell antsy, but he insists he has no plans of going anywhere anytime soon.
Mitchell does have a sense of urgency about winning big, though, so this will be a situation to monitor. The Jazz are 36-22 this season, which is good for fourth place in the Western Conference.
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