Utah Jazz

Contrary to recent speculation, the Dallas Mavericks are reportedly not all-in on acquiring All-Star center Rudy Gobert from the Utah Jazz.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, league sources said the Mavs are "unlikely to initiate an all-out trade pursuit" of Gobert.

During an appearance on the Lowe Post podcast on April 1, ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported that while Gobert wants to remain with the Jazz, the Mavericks were expected to have interest if he became available, and Gobert was thought to be interested in playing alongside Mavs superstar guard Luka Doncic.

The 29-year-old Gobert has been one of the NBA's top centers for the past several seasons, earning three consecutive All-Star nods and winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2020-21.

Gobert is coming off another highly productive season in 2021-22, averaging 15.6 points on a league-best 71.3 percent shooting and an NBA-high 14.7 rebounds per game, as well as 2.1 blocks and 1.1 assists.

With Gobert as a key player on the team, the Jazz have reached the playoffs in six consecutive seasons, but they have not made it out of the second round during that time.

That included a first-round exit at the hands of Doncic and the Mavericks this campaign.

Since playoff success has eluded the Jazz, one school of thought suggests that Utah will make sweeping changes to the roster this offseason by trading either Gobert or All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell.

Observers have also questioned if Gobert and Mitchell will be able to coexist moving forward amid rumors of discontent between them.

The Jazz have not indicated that they plan to trade Gobert, but if they decide to, the Mavericks would be a logical landing spot.

Despite not having a second star to support Doncic, the Mavs made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals this season, falling to the Golden State Warriors in five games.

Gobert would seemingly be an ideal complement to Doncic, especially after Dallas dealt power forward Kristaps Porzingis to the Washington Wizards in February before the trade deadline.

The Mavericks need a second star and a dominant player on the interior, and Gobert would check both of those boxes.

However, based on Stein's report, the Mavericks may not be willing to part with a ton of key pieces in order to add Gobert to the equation.

The Utah Jazz have some decisions to make this offseason when it comes to Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell following another disappointing campaign. Will they both stay in Utah? Or will one get traded?

If the Jazz were going to trade one player this offseason, they'd be more willing to deal Gobert, according to Sarah Todd of Deseret News. However, Utah could be looking to keep both players, Todd added.

"Reports that the Jazz could be looking to keep Gobert and Mitchell for the year that the team would host the All-Star break should be taken seriously," Todd wrote.

The report comes after Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported last week that "there’s reason to believe the main fixtures in Utah aren’t going anywhere anytime soon." He noted that it's important to Jazz governor Ryan Smith that the team has more than one player in the 2023 All-Star Game, which is set to be held in Utah.

Fischer also noted that the Jazz would be more likely to move Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic and Royce O'Neal this summer.

It's not necessarily surprising that Utah might be hesitant to move their two All-Stars. Gobert just put together one of his best seasons in the NBA, averaging 15.6 points, a league-leading 14.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game while shooting 71.3 percent from the floor.

Mitchell also had a solid season, averaging 25.9 points, 5.3 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting 44.8 percent from the floor and 35.5 percent from deep. 

That said, there's always the possibility that Mitchell requests a trade. Fastbreak's Brett Siegel also reported last week that the veteran guard would be interested in joining the New York Knicks, Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks if he requests a move.

Trading either Mitchell or Gobert would likely put the Jazz further from competing for an NBA title. However, it's clear something needs to change as the duo has failed to make it past the conference semifinals in their career together. 

If the Jazz were going to trade Gobert, there'd be no shortage of interest in the 29-year-old. The Toronto Raptors are among the teams interested in the big man, per SNY's Ian Begley. The Golden State Warriors also might have interest in the six-time All-Defensive first-team selection. 

The NBA announced Friday the members of the 2021-22 All-Defensive Teams, with some familiar faces and this season's Defensive Player of the Year headlining the First Team. 

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart, Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr., Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Phoenix Suns forward Mikal Bridges make up this season's All-Defensive First Team. 

The 2021-22 Kia NBA All-Defensive First Team:

🏀 Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee)
🏀 Mikal Bridges (Phoenix)
🏀 Rudy Gobert (Utah)
🏀 Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis)
🏀 Marcus Smart (Boston) pic.twitter.com/YQgyjt9qSP

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 21, 2022

Meanwhile, Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo, Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green, Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday, Philadelphia 76ers guard Matisse Thybulle and Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III make up the All-Defensive Second Team. 

The 2021-22 Kia NBA All-Defensive Second Team:

🏀 Bam Adebayo (Miami)
🏀 Draymond Green (Golden State)
🏀 Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee)
🏀 Matisse Thybulle (Philadelphia)
🏀 Robert Williams III (Boston) pic.twitter.com/UJiVcGMyUw

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 21, 2022

Here's a look at the voting:

Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart of Boston and runner-up Mikal Bridges of Phoenix received the most voting points in balloting for the 2021-22 Kia NBA All-Defensive Team.

More ➡️ https://t.co/VpKETU9caP

Voting results ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/dUxDi2L2oc

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 21, 2022

Smart's selection to the first team comes as no surprise after he was named the Defensive Player of the Year for the first time in his career. This also marks his third selection to an All-Defensive Team. 

The 28-year-old was one of the driving forces behind the Celtics' No. 1-ranked defense this season. He ranked seventh in the league with 1.7 steals per game, tied for six in total steals with 119 and had 19 games with at least three steals.

Smart also finished tied for fourth with 75 loose balls recovered, tied for 10th with 206 deflections and 16 charges drawn. In addition, he finished with 3.2 defensive rebounds per game, the most of his career. 

Jackson, meanwhile, helped the Grizzlies finish with the sixth-best defensive rating in the NBA and the second-best record in the Western Conference. This marks the first All-Defensive Team selection of his career. 

The 22-year-old finished the season averaging 4.3 defensive rebounds and a career-high 2.3 blocks per game. In addition, he finished with 769 contested shots, 63 loose balls recovered, 335 total defensive rebounds, 177 total blocks and 73 steals. 

Gobert is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and this marks his sixth All-Defensive Team selection. He helped the Jazz finish with the 10th-best defensive rating in the league and was a big reason why Utah finished fifth in the Western Conference standings. 

The 29-year-old averaged 11 defensive rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. In addition, he finished with 862 contested shots, 727 total defensive rebounds, 137 total blocks, 87 deflections and 28 loose balls recovered. 

Antetokounmpo won DPoY in 2019-20 and this marks his fifth All-Defensive Team selection. He helped the Bucks finish with the 14th-best defensive rating in the NBA and was a big reason why the team finished third in the Eastern Conference. 

The 27-year-old averaged 9.6 defensive rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.4 blocks per game in 2021-22. In addition, he finished with a total of 612 contested shots, 644 defensive rebounds, 72 steals, 91 blocks, 115 deflections and 64 loose balls recovered.

Bridges finished second in DPoY voting this season and this marks the first All-Defensive Team selection of his career. He helped the Suns finish with the third-best defensive rating in the NBA and the best record in the Western Conference. 

The 25-year-old averaged 3.3 defensive rebounds and 1.2 steals per game this season. In addition, he finished with a total of 168 deflections, 483 contested shots, 273 defensive rebounds, 96 steals and 36 blocks. 

The offseason has begun for all but eight teams in the NBA, and no franchise's future has been a greater subject of discussion in league circles than that of the Utah Jazz. But for all the talk of potential wholesale changes in Salt Lake City following another premature playoff exit, there's reason to believe the main fixtures in Utah aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

Much of the leaguewide conversation regarding the potential split of three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert and three-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell seems to have been generated by NBA actors outside of the Jazz franchise.

The 2023 NBA All-Star Game will be in Salt Lake City, a detail that multiple league sources connected to the Jazz have painted as a critical element of the franchise's future plans. It's of great importance to Jazz governor Ryan Smith that Utah has multiple players in that midseason classic, sources said, similar to how the Cavaliers were represented by both Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen during the 2022 affair in Cleveland. It's also clear that Smith is willing to financially support a contender, and Utah leadership has no designs of entering any sort of rebuild.

Jazz staffers and various figures around the league point most directly at CAA for the whispers that seem designed to push Mitchell toward requesting a trade from Utah, particularly to New York. Jazz personnel took great umbrage to Knicks executives William Wesley and Allan Houston and All-Star forward Julius Randle sitting courtside during Utah's Game 1 road win over the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs, sources said.

Randle is a Dallas native, but Wesley and Knicks president Leon Rose were hired away from CAA, the agency that represents Mitchell, to pilot the franchise. And New York's front office has so far been unable to deliver the All-Star talent coups that organizations expect former agents-turned-executives such as Bob Myers and Rob Pelinka to deliver. The Miami Heat are being mentioned as another franchise that's closely monitoring Mitchell's status in Utah.

However, Mitchell still has three years remaining on his lucrative contract before he could decline a $37.1 million player option in 2025-26. And the Jazz have made countless efforts to cater to Mitchell's happiness in Salt Lake City, from trading for Mitchell's childhood friend, Eric Paschall, to terminating vice president of performance health care Mike Elliott after Mitchell was frustrated when Utah's medical staff urged to keep him sidelined for Game 1 of the Jazz's 2021 first-round matchup against the Grizzlies, which resulted in a loss.

Utah's steadfast commitment to Mitchell has naturally led rival executives to paint Gobert as the more likely trade candidate should the Jazz explore breaking up the duo. Dallas, Atlanta and Toronto are the potential Gobert destinations that have been discussed most among league personnel. But while Jazz figures have clearly recognized their roster's need for defensive improvements, moving on from Gobert would seem directly counterintuitive to fixing those shortcomings.

League personnel speak far more certainly of the Jazz looking to explore moving complementary pieces such as wings Bojan Bogdanovic and Royce O'Neale. That could introduce All-Star point guard Mike Conley into an interesting point guard market that seems to be developing this summer.

Utah's Management Future

During his end-of-season media availability Monday, Jazz head coach Quin Snyder declined to address his contract status with the organization. Snyder did speak frequently of his plans to further contemplate the Jazz roster with CEO Danny Ainge and general manager Justin Zanik, which made him sound quite invested in returning to Utah's sideline.

"I'll meet with Danny and Justin. I've already done some of that with our staff, kind of impromptu," Snyder told reporters. "But that whole thought process is something that has yet to occur on the level that it will. You're not satisfied, you have aspirations to be better and win more, and that's what we'll try to do."

The noise surrounding Snyder's future in Utah seems to have stemmed from when he declined the Jazz's efforts to ink him to a contract extension. Word began to swirl around the league from there. The NBA is as much a game of thrones as it is a business rooted in the sport of basketball, and the potential opening to pilot a perennial playoff contender certainly sparks wandering eyes from coaches hungry for their first or next opportunity to lead a team.

While it's unclear what exactly motivated that holding pattern from Snyder, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation told B/R there was some form of a disagreement between Snyder and Utah's front office during the 2021 offseason, prior to Ainge's arrival. Snyder still has one year remaining on his contract, along with a 2023-24 option that he could choose to pick up or decline prior to that season. There's plenty of time to evaluate his own Jazz footing, especially as speculation continues to mount about the longevity of the Mitchell-Gobert pairing.

The conclusion of his lone remaining guaranteed year, or perhaps even his 2023-24 option, could perfectly align with the timing of Gregg Popovich's eventual retirement from coaching the San Antonio Spurs. Snyder steered the Austin Toros, then-San Antonio's G League affiliate, from 2007-10, and he has been one of the many names linked as the Spurs' potential successor to Popovich.

It's a role that seemingly every coach with Spurs ties covets, from former head coaches like Brett Brown, Jacque Vaughn and James Borrego to longtime assistants like Will Hardy. Any figure who's overlapped with Popovich asserts that no man knows the legend's plans for next season, not even Popovich. While he does appear motivated to return to San Antonio's sideline for at least one more season, Popovich is known to be currently traveling and considering his coaching future. One source told B/R that Popovich plans to visit Belgrade for the Euroleague Final Four later in May.

With that, there's little expectation among figures close to the situation that Snyder will be departing Utah before his own contract expires. And for all of the speculation about potential front-office changes under Ainge, several league sources indicated the Jazz CEO has no imminent plans to shake up Utah's basketball operations.

Ainge did work alongside a small cohort during his time shepherding the Boston Celtics, but he has expressed little desire to run day-to-day activities in Utah, sources said. Prior to the 2021-22 campaign, the Jazz hired several new front-office figures to three-year deals with team options in 2023-24.

The only persistent conversations about potential management shake-ups in Utah trace back to the idea that former Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey, who resigned last June, continues to be mentioned as a strong candidate to lead a rival franchise's basketball operations, should an opportunity emerge in the near future. In that scenario, league figures expect Lindsey would attempt to bring familiar Jazz faces along with him.

Knicks' PG Options Coming Into Focus?

The Knicks executives' controversial appearance in Dallas also raised eyebrows because of the expectation that New York will aggressively pursue Mavericks ball-handler Jalen Brunson as an unrestricted free agent. One source with knowledge of the Knicks front office even suggested to B/R that New York's efforts before the February trade deadline were primarily geared toward freeing ample cap space to offer Brunson a competitive contract this July.

But word of the Detroit Pistons' interest in pairing Brunson with Rookie of the Year finalist Cade Cunningham, similar to how Brunson has thrived alongside Dallas' supersized point-forward Luke Doncic, has been as persistent as the Knicks' rumored desire for Brunson.

The Indiana Pacers, who hired former Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle last offseason, are another team known to have interest in Brunson's services. However, Dallas personnel have also shared a repeated confidence they will be able to retain Brunson after this strong postseason run in North Texas.

The Pacers' expected exploration of point guard Malcolm Brogdon's trade market is another looming wild card this summer. The Minnesota Timberwolves are believed to be similarly willing to gauge D'Angelo Russell's trade value.

Should the Knicks strike out on landing Brunson, would Conley, another CAA client, function as a feasible Plan B? Some New York staffers would prefer to look internally and give second-year guard Immanuel Quickley an earnest chance at emerging as the team's starting point guard following this year's failed Kemba Walker experiment. But the Knicks could send Evan Fournier to Utah directly in exchange for Conley, bolstering the Jazz's depleted perimeter rotation while sliding Mitchell over to point guard.

Throughout Mitchell's career, Jazz personnel have deliberated which position would best optimize their All-Star playmaker, just as Houston once contemplated shifting James Harden into a full-fledged lead ball-handling role.

Other Point Guard Destinations

Expected to be a leading contender for the 2022-23 championship, the Los Angeles Clippers' loaded roster does seem to have a noticeable talent dearth at point guard beyond Reggie Jackson. Conley will turn 35 years old in October. A contending team like the Clippers would appear to be a natural landing spot for someone of Conley's ilk.

A clean deal for Conley might be difficult to find without including the salary of starting center Ivica Zubac. The Clippers quietly explored Luke Kennard's value prior to the trade deadline, but for all of his improvement, the Duke product wouldn't exactly fulfill the Jazz's apparent desire to upgrade on the wing defensively.

A much simpler solution for the Clippers might be waiting on the other side of a potential contract buyout for John Wall in Houston. While one source with knowledge of the situation insisted to B/R that the Wall-to-Miami speculation has become outdated in the wake of the Heat's acquisition of Kyle Lowry, the Clippers could welcome Wall on a discounted deal into a loaded salary sheet expected to soar far above the luxury-tax threshold next season.

Outside of New York and Los Angeles, the Pelicans and Wizards are the only two teams that league personnel pointed to as having clear upgrade needs in their respective backcourts. After the Wizards' short-lived run with Spencer Dinwiddie, they have a clear hole next to Bradley Beal should they be successful in retaining the All-Star guard this summer.

New Orleans has no shortage of ball-handlers who are capable of initiating offense between CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram, plus the expected return of sensational forward Zion Williamson. Yet as Devonte' Graham slipped out of the Pelicans' postseason rotation, league figures have mentioned the 27-year-old as a potential trade candidate this offseason.

New Orleans is not motivated to part ways with Graham as it was with Eric Bledsoe last summer, sources said. Graham's decline in minutes during the playoffs may have been more a result of injury misfortune than a personnel decision by head coach Willie Green.

But the Pelicans' front office has swung a significant trade in most of the recent major transaction windows, from the trade deadline to the draft and free agency. They will be focused on finding upgrades to their rotation, sources said, with a clear goal of building off this season's surprise postseason appearance.

Jake Fischer has covered the NBA for Bleacher Report since 2019 and is the author of Built to Lose: How the NBA's Tanking Era Changed the League Forever.

There's been a bit of a debate online in recent days over the prospect of Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert defending Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal.

B/R's Taylor Rooks spoke directly to both of them Tuesday, and a respectful exchange occurred between the two big men.

"Yes, I do think I could lock him up," Gobert told Rooks. "I'm never gonna look at someone, whoever it is, and say, 'Yeah, you would score 40 on me.' That's not my mentality. I would love to go against prime Shaq, it would be a great challenge for me."

For his part, O'Neal admired Gobert's mindset and responded, "You know what Rudy, let me tell you something: I respect that. I do."

"I respect that." @SHAQ responds to Rudy Gobert's IG comment 👀

Tap in live to the B/R app now https://t.co/03ruOImHHY pic.twitter.com/gMB0v7GWsn

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 10, 2022

O'Neal further explained that he knows that his comments about current players are sometimes perceived as hate, but his true intention is to motivate.

"So a lot of times when I throw jabs, people think it's hate, or whatever," he said. "But it's really, I'm just challenging him, because this thing we have right now is so good, if it continues to be great, everybody will prosper. That's how you gotta look at it."

O'Neal also discussed Gobert's teammate Donovan Mitchell, saying he has the potential to be great and shouldn't be satisfied with being "really good." But he made it clear why his criticisms hold more weight than most media pundits.

"It's never beef. When I speak, I think I speak from experience, and I have G-19 classification to say what I say," O'Neal said. "I'm not one of these other commentators who didn't do anything. You know who I am. You know what I did."

The Jazz finished fifth in the West this season with a 49-33 record to make a sixth consecutive trip to the playoffs. But Utah was bounced in the first round in six games against the Dallas Mavericks despite star point guard Luka Doncic missing the first three games of the series.

After being eliminated, many are wondering if the Jazz will look to move on from either Gobert or Mitchell this offseason.

Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder declined to discuss his contract status with reporters Monday amid rumors that the Los Angeles Lakers could be interested in bringing him aboard.

"My family loves it here," Snyder said, per Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune.

"… The experience continues to be a great one. … Beyond that, I continue to maintain that I'm not going to discuss my contractual situation publicly."

Longtime NBA reporter Marc Stein reported Saturday on his Substack that the Lakers, who need a new head coach after parting ways with Frank Vogel, are waiting to see if Snyder or Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers becomes available.

Former Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts, Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham, Toronto Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin and Jackson are the four known candidates to have interviewed with the Lakers to date. Sources maintain that the Lakers’ search is moving deliberately at least in part because L.A. wants to see if Philadelphia’s Doc Rivers or Utah’s Quin Snyder makes it to the open market this offseason.

Per Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer, Snyder has one year left on his contract. He also has an option for 2023-24, according to The Athletic's Sam Amick.

The Jazz appear to be at a crossroads following a disappointing season. They started the year 26-10 but finished 23-23 and fell to fifth in the Western Conference with a 49-33 record. Utah lost in six games to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

The year before, Utah finished first in the Western Conference but were eliminated by the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round.

It's fair to wonder whether the Jazz have gone as far as they've can with their current core.

Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert are great players in their own right, and they are flanked by talented guards and wings (Mike Conley Jr., Bojan Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson), but the Jazz can't seem to advance past the conference semifinals with this current group.

However, it doesn't appear that Jazz brass is looking to make a coaching change. Per Amick:

....the 55-year-old remains highly regarded by everyone from second-year owner Ryan Smith to first-year basketball CEO Danny Ainge to general manager Justin Zanik. The Jazz’s series-ending loss to Dallas in Game 6 of their first-round matchup on Thursday doesn’t change that, and sources say ownership and management do not see Snyder as part of the problem.

If anything, a potential move away from the Jazz sidelines would originate from Snyder himself, per Amick.

"Sources say Snyder has been unsure of what his coaching future might hold all season, and his plan has been to see how things ended and then reassess his own view of it all from there," Amick wrote.

"In terms of what might come next, it appears nearly every scenario is on the table."

Snyder has done very well in eight seasons in Utah, making the playoffs in each of his last six campaigns. He also took over a team that went 25-57 in 2013-14 before undergoing a 13-win improvement.

Therefore, it's understandable why the Lakers could be interested. The question now seems to be what Snyder wants to do, and there isn't much clarity on that front. For now, he remains the Jazz coach with one year left on his deal.

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert and his agent, Bouna Ndiaye, reportedly believe their upcoming exit meeting with team management will "likely determine" his future with the organization.

Tony Jones of The Athletic reported the update Monday as trade rumors swirl around Gobert and guard Donovan Mitchell following the Jazz's first-round playoff elimination at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks.

Utah's front office hasn't made any declarations, but prevailing wisdom suggests the team's core is due for a shake up this summer following a lack of postseason success.

While the Jazz have qualified for the playoffs each of the past six seasons, they've never advanced beyond the second round. It's a disappointment for a team that's regularly finished near the top of the regular-season standings, including the NBA's best record at 52-20 in 2020-21.

If the franchise does decide to remake its foundation, it sounds like Gobert could be the main piece in a move.

Jones previously noted the Jazz "want to keep" Mitchell and realize that means trading Gobert could be the "only true avenue to explore in terms of improving the roster on the fly."

SiriusXM's Sean O'Connell reported Monday the three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year is ready to provide the front office with a "him or me" proposition in regards to Mitchell, though Gobert appeared to downplay that notion on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/rudygobert27/status/1521209834560884736

Even if neither player requests a trade directly, it's hard to imagine a scenario in which the Jazz bring back pretty much the same roster for next season with only a few minor depth changes. It's time to try something new around Gobert or Mitchell while they're still playing at a high level.

That said, Jazz general manager Justin Zanik didn't tip his hand during exit interviews last week.

"I think Donovan and Rudy, along with some of our other players, are hugely important to the success of this organization," Zanik told reporters. "When you're talking about building a championship house, it doesn't exist just on a foundation, it exists on everything else as well."

While there are countless factors in play if it comes down to keeping only one of Mitchell or Gobert, perhaps the simplest is age. The All-Star guard won't turn 26 until September, while the old-school post player will hit 30 in June.

For a team that's failed to capitalize on having its championship window open in recent years, keeping it open for as long as possible is likely the goal, which is another reason Mitchell is the more likely option to stay heading toward the 2022-23 campaign.

Utah Jazz big man Rudy Gobert would seemingly prefer NBA fans not to believe everything they read.

Sean O'Connell of SiriusXM reported Monday that Gobert "is at 'him or me' point with Donovan Mitchell and will demand that one of them be traded." O'Connell reported Gobert does not think the pairing can win a championship, is concerned with Mitchell's defense and knows at least one Western Conference contender would "pay handsomely" if he left Utah.

Yet the man himself didn't seem too impressed with the rumor.

https://twitter.com/rudygobert27/status/1521209834560884736

While Gobert was dismissive, the idea of internal tension and a clear limit on championship potential for the Jazz is far from new.

Even after the big man's winning dunk in Game 4 of Utah's first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks, TNT's Matt Winer prompted an interview question with "there's a lot of talk about what this team can and can't be in the postseason."

Gobert was fined $25,000 because he replied "f--k the talk."

The momentum from that win was short-lived, as the Mavericks won the next two games to advance to the second round. It was another playoff failure for the Jazz, who fell behind 2-1 in the series even though Luka Doncic missed the first three games. They also blew a 2-0 lead to a Los Angeles Clippers squad that didn't have Kawhi Leonard for the whole series in the second round last year.

Mitchell and other perimeter defenders struggled to stay in front of Jalen Brunson and Doncic in the most recent postseason loss, bringing the defensive concerns back into focus.

In January, some interpreted Gobert's comments as taking a shot at Mitchell's lack of development on that side of the ball when compared to his peers.

"When I watch some of these other teams like the Suns or the Warriors, those guys are a step ahead of us in terms of winning habits," Gobert told reporters. "They take every game personally. Devin Booker is playing his ass off defensively. I've been watching him compared to two years ago.

"Guys like that, they buy in. You can tell they take pride in playing defense, stopping their man, doing whatever they can defensively to stop the other team and be a part of a winning culture. I think we're not there yet, but I think we're gonna get there."

Mitchell responded by saying, "We all as a group hold each other accountable. That's his way, I guess. I'm not too concerned about it. His just happened this way. Cool."

In February, ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon discussed the apparent tension within the team as well during an episode of The Hoop Collective podcast (via RealGM).

"Gobert and Mitchell have been at each other's...I don't know if I can say at each other's throats," Windhorst said.

MacMahon replied: "It's back to being passively aggressively awkward."

"It's the most underplayed story in the league, I think," Windhorst said. "The Jazz are struggling a lot. This team had big expectations and they're getting passed by frankly. They are not on the level they were a year ago. Donovan and Gobert, even though they're both under long-term contract, are under each other's skin. There's all kind of subtweeting and passive-aggressive stuff going on."

Mitchell and Gobert are both under contract through the 2024-25 campaign with player options for the following season, so an offseason trade may be the only answer if the situation truly is untenable.             

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert is reportedly expected to generate interest from "multiple teams" if the front office decides to trade the three-time All-Star during the offseason.

Tony Jones of The Athletic reported Friday that Gobert remains "all-in" on the Jazz despite their playoff elimination at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, but the organization may look to move him to reconstruct the roster around guard Donovan Mitchell.

Utah has qualified for the playoffs in each of the past six seasons and won 294 regular-season games over that span, which ranks third in the NBA behind only the Milwaukee Bucks (299) and Toronto Raptors (296).

The Jazz have not emerged as a championship contender, though. They've failed to advance beyond the second round of the playoffs, and Thursday's loss to the Mavs marked the third time in the past four years their season ended in the opening round.

That lack of postseason success suggests some major changes could be on the horizon.

Gobert and Mitchell are the two players with enough trade value to serve as the key piece of a blockbuster deal that could reshape the team's core.

Jones reported the Jazz "want to keep" Mitchell as of now, which would leave trading the three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year as the top option.

Gobert averaged 15.6 points, 14.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks while shooting 71.3 percent from the field across 66 appearances in 2021-22. He also remained the league's premier defender, ranking first in FiveThirtyEight's defensive RAPTOR metric.

Yet, ahead of an offseason sure to feature plenty of rumors, the 29-year-old post player wasn't ready to take a deep dive into what may happen next after the team's season-ending loss.

"No matter what, I'm always going to do my best to be the best Rudy I can be on and off the floor and to win," Gobert told reporters. "The rest is out of my control."

Gobert has found a way to remain highly productive in an era that's moved away from traditional centers in favor of players who can stretch the floor, but the jury remains out about whether that can translate into him being a cornerstone on a title-winning team.

A lot can change over the next five months, but it sounds like Gobert may have to continue that championship chase with a new organization.

As the Utah Jazz look to find answers after another postseason disappointment, the New York Knicks don't appear to be hiding their interest in Donovan Mitchell. 

Per ESPN's Tim MacMahon, one Western Conference general manager called the Knicks' apparent recruitment of Mitchell "amateurish."

MacMahon noted the Knicks had executive vice president William Wesley, forward Julius Randle and assistant general manager Allan Houston sitting in the stands at American Airlines Arena for Game 1 between the Jazz and Dallas Mavericks on April 16. 

"Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson, the breakout star of the series, is expected to be targeted by the Knicks in free agency this summer," MacMahon wrote. "However, executives from other teams assume that the Knicks executives' prominent appearance—particularly 'World Wide Wes,' a former CAA consultant considered one of the game's great relationship builders—was part of New York's long-running, wink-wink plan of trying to get Mitchell to push the Jazz to trade him to his hometown team."

SNY.tv's Ian Begley reported last week that prominent members of the Jazz were "surprised and upset" when they saw William Wesley (aka World Wide Wes) sitting courtside at the game. 

There has been speculation for some time that Mitchell may not remain in Utah much longer.

Ric Bucher of Fox Sports reported in January, as the Jazz were in the midst of a five-game losing streak, there was "incessant buzz around the league is that there are those in Mitchell's circle who believe he is too big of a star for Salt Lake City."

The Knicks certainly figure to be in the market for any top stars who might be available in trades or free agency this offseason. They finished 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 37-45 record this season after making the playoffs with a 41-31 record in 2020-21. 

The Jazz will have to figure out what their direction is going to be moving forward. They have lost in the first round of the playoffs three times in the past four seasons. 

Mitchell told reporters after Thursday's season-ending loss to the Dallas Mavericks he wasn't thinking about his future right now. 

"My mindset is to win," he said. "Right now, I'm not really looking at that. … I'll think about it in a week. Right now I'm not thinking about that."

Utah does have Mitchell under contract through the 2024-25 season. He also has a $37.1 million player option for 2025-26.

If Mitchell decides he wants to leave the Jazz, the Knicks certainly figure to be one of the first teams in line to make a bid. They need a star in the backcourt and a go-to scorer. The three-time All-Star has averaged at least 24 points per game in each of the past three seasons.