Some trouble may be brewing in the Utah Jazz's locker room whenever the players are permitted to get back together.
According to The Athletic, Donovan Mitchell is at odds with Rudy Gobert over Gobert's carelessness throughout the situation with COVID-19, so much so that their relationship might be unsalvageable.
Gobert was the first NBA player to test positive for the coronavirus, and prior to his positive test, he was supposedly joking around in the locker room, making contact with teammates and their equipment.
Mitchell then tested positive, and while it will never be known who had the virus first (Gobert may very well have caught it from Mitchell), it's the principle of the matter that is bothering Mitchell.
That begs the question: should the Jazz break up their young duo?
Teams will certainly be calling about Gobert and Mitchell this offseason (whenever that may be), so Utah will certainly have its opportunity to make a trade.
But as of right now, I just don't think that is something the Jazz should do unless they honestly feel they can come across a deal that improves their roster.
The apparent rift between Mitchell and Gobert is very fresh, as it has just happened last month. We are talking a matter of a few weeks here, so it's entirely possible that their relationship will heal over time.
And let's be real here: there are people who forgive murderers for killing family members, so I'm sure that Mitchell can find it in his heart to forgive Gobert for clowning around in the locker room. If he can't? Well, then the Jazz probably will have to act on the situation, as you simply cannot have two players — especially two star players — who don't get along in the same environment.
If it came to a point where Utah had to make a move, Mitchell would almost certainly fetch the bigger return, but he is also the guy the Jazz would be more likely to keep.
As great as Gobert is on the defensive end, there are certain matchups in which he can be exploited. For example, look at how the Golden State Warriors regularly took advantage of him in all of their battles in previous years.
Gobert is also very limited offensively outside of lobs and putbacks, so if it came down to it, Utah would probably bite the bullet and trade Gobert. There would definitely be a market for him, even if the haul wouldn't be as significant as it would be for Mitchell, especially with Gobert hitting unrestricted free agency in 2021.
None of us have any idea what is actually going on between Mitchell and Gobert, but like anything else, there is a chance that their relationship gets repaired with time. Mitchell may be angry right now, but who knows? Maybe in a couple of months, he will forgive Gobert and everything will be water under the bridge.
But if Mitchell continues to hold his grudge? The Jazz then have a bit of an issue on their hands, and it would be an issue they would have to address before next season begins.
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