NBA: Playing smoke or fire with NBA superstar trade rumors

Playing smoke or fire: Donovan Mitchell

Last spring the entire world shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a trigger point in the minds of many sports fans is the canceling of an NBA game due to Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert testing positive. In the aftermath of that scary night, it was reported that Donovan Mitchell had also tested positive, and was upset with Gobert about it.

By the time basketball resumed in the NBA Bubble stories were written about how the two star players had patched things up. Then in the second half of this past season, Mitchell was rehabbing an ankle injury and friction built up between him and the Jazz medical staff, culminating in Mitchell missing Game 1 of their opening-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Mitchell would return and the Jazz would go on to win six games in a row before the LA Clippers found their small-ball gear and won four straight of their own to knock out the Jazz. That left the team to not only consider their on-court loss but contemplate some of the interpersonal drama from the past two years.

Could that lead to Mitchell deciding he wants a fresh start in a new place? He is without much leverage as he starts a brand-new extension for at least four seasons. Yet star players who want to leave often get what they want. Therefore the Jazz have to determine what Mitchell wants and help convince him of a future continuing to compete with the Jazz.

The whispers of Mitchell being unhappy are not loud, and nowhere near as explicit as with Damian Lillard. He seems to have a good relationship with new minority owner Dwyane Wade. This situation could trend downwards, but for now, it seems like more of a “the Jazz shouldn’t get comfortable” moment than anything more.

Verdict: Smoke