Donovan Mitchell Opens Up on Acrimonious Departure From Utah Jazz

• Donovan Mitchell has opened up about his time at Utah Jazz
• Mitchell spent five seasons with the Jazz but was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in September
• Mitchell also addressed his relationship with former Jazz teammate Rudy Gobert

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell has addressed his exit from the Utah Jazz in September.

Mitchell's time in Utah wasn't successful from a team perspective as the Jazz became perennial underachievers. They performed well in the regular season but couldn't replicate it in the postseason.

He averaged 23.9 points in his five seasons and left as one of the best players in Jazz's recent history. The three-time NBA All-Star averaged 23.9 points, 2.8 3-pointers, 4.5 assists and 1.3 steals in that spell.

His on and off-court relationship with All-Star center Rudy Gobert was subject to widespread scrutiny, with many fans and analysts saying they didn't see eye to eye. Others felt their relationship hindered team success.

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Their run ended embarrassingly as they lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of last season's playoffs.

Mitchell on Jazz exit

According to Andscape, Mitchell said his relationship with Gobert couldn't work at all. Head coach Quin Snyder also resigned abruptly, putting an end to the project that promised so much but delivered very little.

"Basketball just didn’t work. We live in such a world where it has to be really negative. Basketball just didn’t work. We didn’t see eye to eye. We wanted to both win, but we wanted to do it two different ways. It didn’t work."

He added that after the defeat to the Mavericks, the writing was on the wall.

"Realistically when we lost [to Dallas]. You just felt it early. I didn’t think it would be this immediate. I didn’t think it would be everything. But I knew something was going to change this summer."

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In a blockbuster NBA trade in September, Mitchell was acquired by the Cavs for Collin Sexton, forward Lauri Markkanen and rookie guard Ochai Agbaji.

They also sent unprotected first-round draft picks in 2025, 2027 and 2029. The teams will also swap their first-round drafting rights in 2026 and 2028.

Jazz stun the Warriors

Sports Brief earlier reported on the Utah Jazz inflicting a painful last-minute defeat on defending champions Golden State Warriors.

With 7.8 seconds remaining on the clock, Ty Jerome inbounded the ball to Jordan Poole. Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kelly Olynyk pressured the Warriors guard, knocking the ball out of his hands.

The mistake resulted in Simone Fontecchio dunking on the other end, putting the hosts up one. In a heartbeat, the Warriors had lost.