SALT LAKE CITY — A sports reporter claims he was told of some serious tension between the two main Utah Jazz stars.
Sean O'Connell tweeted Monday morning that Rudy Gobert will demand that either he or Donovan Mitchell be traded — saying that Gobert is at a "him or me" point.
O'Connell said this was from a "source close to [the] situation." He did not elaborate further on the source, but he had some additional details about the alleged inner dealings. He added that Gobert demanded that this happens in the "next few days" and that he doesn't feel like the duo will win a championship together.
"Rudy feels that his own numbers are consistent or getting better, while Don is D liability and is falling off in terms of explosiveness," O'Connell added. "Gobert also aware of at least 1 Western Conference power that would be willing to pay handsomely for his abilities. (NBA teams never tamper..)"
The All-Star center seemingly responded to this claim, although it was vague enough to not cause any trouble.
"Everyday has it’s own new "rumor" [sic]," Gobert tweeted a few hours after O'Connell posted his claim (accompanied by an eye-roll emoji).
Everyday has it’s own new “rumor” 🙄
— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) May 2, 2022
Mitchell, meanwhile, has tweeted two times on Monday: The first about an hour before O'Connell's tweet, saying: "God is Good." A few hours afterward, he tweeted his excitement for watching his New York Mets, who played the Atlanta Braves on Monday.
Is there truth to O'Connell's claim? Time will tell.
It's not the first time the Utah duo have been at the center of allegations of drama from insider "sources" — shortly after Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 in March 2020, which was followed by Mitchell also testing positive, there were reports and rumors that the two were not speaking. One reporter even called the team "unsalvageable," although the Jazz went on to have one of their best seasons in franchise history and the best record in the league (although that was followed by back-to-back, heartbreaking playoff eliminations).
