BREAKING: Donovan Mitchell To Sign Max Contract With Utah Jazz In Free Agency

Donovan Mitchell has a lot to be proud of. He may have fallen short in the bubble, but the 7 games he played against Denver verged on historic. He is leaving the playoffs as the active leader in scoring. There is a very strong chance that no other player can match up to the averages he has left behind. Mitchell averaged 36.3 points through these 7 games, more than what James Harden scored in the regular season.

Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports has reported that Donovan Mitchell will be looking to extend his contract with the Utah Jazz. Jazz, a team that has always struggled to hold on to their superstars will move forward with Mitchell, offering him the max extension on a rookie scale contract.

Donovan Mitchell aiming high in Utah?

Mitchell re-signing must be a big relief for the Utah front-office. There were rumblings that Mitchell may look to make his way out of the team, but this announcement ends those rumors. This extension should be of worry to Rudy Gobert.

Gobert is Mitchell’s all-star teammate and a two-time Defensive Player of the Year. However, there have been chemistry concerns with the offensively dynamic Mitchell and the elite rim protector Gobert. Donovan got COVID-19 due to the recklessness of Gobert, which severely strained their relationship. They put it behind them in the bubble, and ran out to a 3-1 lead against Denver, before losing three consecutive to let Denver qualify.

Utah tying up money in Mitchell’s future means that lesser money may be on the table when it comes time to offer Gobert an extension. Rudy will be eligible for a massive supermax contract. While it is hard to say he doesn’t deserve it, it is hard for a team to lock up that much money one a one-dimensional defensive center with very little polish offensively.

This extension may just be the beginning of a new look for Utah, who has faced too many years of playoff disappointment. With locking down Mitchell and possibly moving Gobert, Utah can completely retool their stagnant team and attempt to challenge at the top of the Western Conference.