The dynamic between Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell has reportedly gotten to a point where the Stifle Tower has told Utah front office executives that it’s “him or me” and could possibly request that he or Mitchell get traded out of Utah per Sean O’Connell.
I know I am not usually @utahjazz breaking news guy, but a source close to situation has informed me that Rudy Gobert is at “him or me” point with Donovan Mitchell and will demand that one of them be traded in next few days. Doesn’t feel they will win championship together.
— Sean O’Connell (@realOCsports) May 2, 2022
The reported rift between the two franchise cornerstones has been much maligned since Gobert and Mitchell became the NBA’s Patient Zero for COVID-19, causing the League to shut down for several months before the Orlando Bubble took place. Since then, the pair of All-Stars have publicly made sure to downplay any issues they may have had.
“My understanding is that conversation has yet to happen,” O’Connell said per KSL Podcast. “Maybe he and his agent are formulating a better strategy than a simple ultimatum, and that’s why we haven’t had anything. This is from a very trusted, hashtag, source for me, and it could be less than 100 percent complete information from what Rudy and his camp are actually planning on doing. Obviously, I’ll fully allow for that.”
Although the experimental 1-2 punch hasn’t yielded the result the Jazz want, Gobert seemingly isn’t ready to quit on the Jazz or continue to play with Mitchell, letting NBA Twitter know that the rumors were false.
Everyday has it’s own new “rumor” 🙄
— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) May 2, 2022
Gobert averaged 15.6 points, 14.7 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game during the regular season. His playstyle has come under fire for being unable to guard forwards and centers who can stretch the floor. He was endlessly teased for being the main defender being cooked when Terance Mann scored 39 points to eliminate the Jazz in Game 6 in the Clippers’ run to the conference finals last year.
Meanwhile, Mitchell finished the 2021-22 season, averaging 25.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game on 44.8 percent shooting from the field and 35.5 percent from beyond the arc. As a volume scorer, Mitchell has tended to settle more for jumpers instead of exploding to the rim like he’s done in the past.
