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SALT LAKE CITY — It didn't take long to get to the point.
As soon as Donovan Mitchell sat down for his postgame press conference, the question came out: "Do you want to be in Utah?"
"Yeah," Mitchell said. "I think it's given a chance to win. We fell short of our goal. This hurts, I'm not gonna lie, but yeah."
The Utah Jazz were eliminated from the playoffs on Thursday, officially beginning what is expected to be a busy offseason.
On the surface, there shouldn't be a conversation about ending the Mitchell and Rudy Gobert partnership. Both players are perennial All-Stars who just signed contract extensions before last season that will run through at least the summer of 2025 — that's three years from now.
Utah isn't usually a team that trades stars with that many years left on a deal. But will they have a choice? And do Mitchell and Gobert want to continue to co-exist?
The near-constant reports and veiled jabs through the media this season hasn't led one to believe there's a happy marriage between the two stars. Unhappy pairings are nothing new to the NBA, but first-round defeats don't stoke a lot of confidence the partnership will be worth it; and Mitchell said he wasn't sure if this team is capable of reaching their lofty goals.
"Honestly, I don't know," Mitchell said. "It's nothing against the group, I just think we've come up short. I think I would like to think that we can find a way, but the same token, that's not up to me. It's not my decision to make that, so we'll go on and see what happens."
But in some way, it is up to him. Mitchell has a lot of power in the organization; that isn't something unique to the Jazz — not by a long shot. Every star on every team holds a fairly large sway about potential personnel decisions. Was it really a coincidence that former vice president of health care Mike Elliott stepped down after he and Mitchell clashed over the star's playoff availability last season? Or that the Jazz traded for Eric Paschall, Mitchell's childhood best friend?
So Mitchell likely does have some say in a potential shake up; the question then is: Does he think the team needs one?
"I mean, it's tough to ask me that right now," he said. "I mean, to be honest with you, I'm a competitor and I feel like if you give us another crack at it, we can go get it. But in the same token, there are things that could change.
"I'm not ready to discuss that, to be honest with you right now," he continued. "I'm not mentally, not in that headspace. ... I'm really not. For me, it sucks. If you asked me that in a week or so, maybe, but like right now I'm not really in a headspace to answer that for you."
Another avenue for change: Mitchell asking for a trade. There's been talk — and not just by talking heads but by team executives — that Mitchell might want out of Utah. When he was asked about that discussion, he didn't completely shut the notion down.
"My mindset is to win, and like I said, right now. I'm not really looking at (asking for a trade)," Mitchell said. "... I just want to win."
Mitchell then paused for a few moments and let out a long sigh.
"This hurts, and, like I said, I'll think about it in a week and kind of go from there," he said. "But, right now, I'm not really thinking about any of that to be completely honest with you. I'm not."
In a week, Mitchell might have more clarity about what he wants his future to hold. For the Jazz, it'll likely take a bit longer.
