LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 08: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz pumps up teammate Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz during the fourth quarter at The Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 08, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
NBA Rumors: Tensions in Jazz locker room could lead to offseason drama
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 17: Rudy Gobert #27 and Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz react to a play during the second quarter /al at Crypto.com Arena on January 17, 2022 in Los Angeles, California, NBA Rumors: Tensions in Utah Jazz locker room are getting worse. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
The NBA trade deadline is over with, and the Utah Jazz actually made a move! Although, it wasn’t the type of trade a lot of fans had in mind when February 10 rolled around.
Jazz fans were dreaming of Robert Covington and/or Harrison Barnes but ended up with Nickeil Alexander-walker and Juancho Hernangomez… ouch.
To make matters worse, that might not be the worst of their problems after the trade deadline. Recent NBA rumors revealed a tidbit of information that’s enough to make Utah fans sick to their stomachs.
NBA Rumors: Tensions in Jazz locker room could lead to offseason drama
According to Howard Beck of Sports Illustrated, there are growing tensions within the Utah Jazz locker room. He stated this on The Crossover NBA Show with Chris Mannix. (H/t Bleacher Report)
The majority of said tensions exist between Utah’s two All-Stars – Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert – which is probably the worst-case scenario for the organization.
There were reports of a rift forming between the two after Gobert’s COVID-related incident that kicked off the entire season being shut down in early 2020.
And then earlier this season, rumors began swirling that Mitchell may prefer to play in a bigger market, as Utah is one of, if not the smallest market in the NBA.
Beck also mentioned that the tensions “might be a little worse than we’ve even been led to believe.” But that wasn’t even the juiciest bit of information to be shared on the podcast.
Just a couple of sentences later, Beck stated that “those Donovan Mitchell ‘wants out’ rumors are going to be starting like as soon as the season is over.”
Utah has won five in a row, but they were struggling mightily before that. And as mentioned, the NBA trade deadline didn’t exactly do them any favors.
If the Jazz suffer another first or second-round exit from the playoffs this year, it could be the end of the Mitchell-Gobert pairing, and who knows where Mitchell might end up next.
