KqWIN wrote:stitches wrote:KqWIN wrote:Mitchell is going to want to move on from Utah. Playing for one franchise or playing for a smaller franchise isn't some noble act. Fact is, Mitchell likes the spotlight and he's going to pursue it. It sucks that the Jazz are on the wrong end of this, but it's just reality. Donovan Mitchell is not a player who will stay in Utah forever. You're kidding yourself if you think he's a lifer.
After we lost Hayward(which I will admit hurt a ton) I've decided to never have any illusions and expectations about any player staying with my teams after his contract is over. I will enjoy them while they are here, and just move on to the next iteration of Jazz basketball once they are gone. Make them feel loved and welcomed with the team, try to make the team competitive so they can fulfill their pure basketball pursuits and if that's not enough... oh well... Nothing we can do.
With that said. Mitchell has a playoff run and somewhere between 4 and 5 more years of team control. I will worry about it when the time comes. Now it's time to try to salvage this disaster of a season and then figure out what to do in the 'off-season' and whether we want to tie ourselves to Mitchell in the first place or is it better to try to sell high.
I guess it's all about getting the best timing/value out of Mitchell. The most likely scenario IMO is that he signs the max, we have 2-3 years of more of the same, and then we flip him and rebuild.
Players will always try to negotiate a situation where:
a) They get paid the most amount of money possible, or close to it.
b) They get as much positive publicity and recognition as possible for their personal brand as an athlete.
c) They can win, potentially win a championship, and solidify their legacy.
The disadvantage that Utah and a bunch of smaller markets have is that we don't get the media attention that the teams in the big media markets like LA and New York do. So our guys fly a little under the radar and sometimes feel they don't get the recognition they deserve. This has changed a bit in recent years, and guys in smaller markets, like Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook, have been able to get superstar recognition. I don't think Rudy Gobert can complain too much. He's been recognized as All NBA, DPOY and an All Star, which is about as much as he deserves, tbh. Mitchell is emerging as a young star in large part because the Jazz have built a team around him. So for now, he's doing about as well as he can expect. At some point, Adidas might want him to be in an east coast media market though.
The other disadvantage is that the superstar players tend to want to play in LA or NY for the same reason. So when one superstar signs with the Lakers in free agency, and another forces a trade there, it creates a competitive disadvantage and makes it harder to win a championship in the smaller market.