Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell has had a few uncertain weeks after contracting the novel coronavirus. Yet those who fear his rough patch with Rudy Gobert could result in him leaving town can breathe easy.
According to Tony Jones of The Athletic, it's likely Mitchell will wind up signing a five-year max extension of his rookie contract, putting him under team control for a while:
“I can say with confidence that Mitchell loves Utah, has embraced the community and genuinely loves playing for the Jazz. I can also say that the Jazz have Mitchell under team control for the next five years,” wrote Jones, responding to a fan mailbag question. “…Mitchell will sign a max contract extension at some point before next season. That extension will kick in for him in year five, and he will be here for the length of his second contract. Again. Anything can happen. But, I can certainly say with confidence that Mitchell loves it here.”
If Mitchell is a surefire lock to stay, that is a huge sigh of relief for Jazz fans, who have endured a lot in the past few weeks after the pandemic brought the 2019-20 season to a halt.
This doesn't guarantee Gobert will leave either, as the two could work out their differences in time. The Jazz are aware of the rift between the two stemming from Gobert's carelessness and negligence when it comes to the dangers of COVID-19.
If the issue can eventually be put on the back burner, it's likely neither of these players requests to leave Utah and will instead carry on fighting the good fight, whenever the season does resume.
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