Ainge and Mitchell disagree over offseason falling out

The Utah Jazz appeared in countless headlines this offseason for trading away superstars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. While it was disappointing to see the era end, it makes sense, given the lackluster postseason results the duo brought home over their five-year tenure.

In all honesty, it seems like Gobert and Mitchell both left Utah on relatively good terms. Sure, there were some rumblings of Gobert being unhappy with his role and Mitchell wanting to play in a larger market, but compared to Kevin Durant’s offseason drama, all went well in Utah.

Or so we thought. In a recent interview, Mitchell told reporters that he wanted to run it back with Gobert in the 2022-23 season, and try to continue what they were working on/

Utah Jazz: Mitchell and Ainge see the offseason differently

Mithcell allegedly asked Danny Ainge to not trade any core pieces and allow the team to work on improving internally. Ainge claims that team chemistry was off and none of the guys believed in each other.

Mitchell has refuted that statement, saying that Ainge was “only around for six months” and that he believed in everyone and thought Utah was nearly at the point of true contention, and could even bring Salt Lake its first championship.

First-year coach Will Hardy will not win many games this season, but if he had one of the best pick and roll duos on his roster, that could be a whole different story. When Gobert was traded, Mitchell saw the writing on the wall and wanted out, because he wants to win. Ainge thought Utah had a formula that simply would not work and decided to blow it all up, despite his best players’ wishes.

• Published on 09/18/2022 at 9:00 AM MDT
• Last updated on 09/18/2022 at 9:00 AM MDT