The Utah Jazz’s 2021-22 NBA season came to an unceremonious conclusion recently when they were eliminated from the first round of the playoffs by the Dallas Mavericks.
All attention now shifts onto what the future holds.
It is something of an open secret at this juncture that team stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert despise each other.
One has to go.
Gobert has two suitors for his services that will likely make some sort of play for him over the summer. Mitchell, meanwhile, has consistently been linked to just one team: the New York Knicks.
That changed this week.
According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the Miami Heat have emerged as a dark horse contender for Simmons’ services.
“Post Sports+ reported earlier this month that Dwyane Wade, a minority Jazz owner, could play a big role in whether Mitchell is content to stay in Salt Lake City,” he wrote.
“Miami has been mentioned by league sources as a smart landing spot for Mitchell with Wade’s strong connections to his beloved Heat. However, Knicks president Leon Rose was Wade’s agent in the later stages of the guard’s career. Rose postponed his start with the Knicks to arrange Wade’s retirement ceremony in Miami.”
It will be interesting to see where things go from here. Mitchell would be a fascinating addition to the Heat, primarily because this is the group that would best mask the very real defensive limitations he consistently brings to the table.
Mitchell is an incredible offensive star when he is firing on all cylinders, but there is a reason why he wasn’t able to lift Utah past a Mavericks squad that didn’t even have its best player for half the series.
Because of all the infighting the Jazz had to deal with this past season, it feels like a lock that changes are coming.
The photos speak for themselves. He looks miserable. https://t.co/VtQoR2hYrQ
— Game 7 (@game7__) April 30, 2022
Will the Heat be beneficiaries of those changes?
Time will tell.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
