Quin Snyder Leaving Could Be Best-Case Scenario For Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz as a franchise are at a crossroads going into the 2022-23 season, and head coach Quin Snyder’s refusal to commit to another contract could work in their favor.

ESPN’s Tim McMahon and Adrian Wojnarowski co-reported on the development in Utah, noting that Snyder and the front office have yet to come to terms on an extension.

“While talks are described as ‘good faith’ attempts at a resolution that will keep Snyder, discussions with owner Ryan Smith and CEO of basketball operations Danny Ainge have yet to secure the coach's return for next season, sources said,” they wrote.

The pair also mentioned that while there is no concrete timetable for the two sides to agree, talks are expected to continue rolling.

If Snyder does decide to call it quits with the franchise, then it could be their opportunity to retain both of their All-Stars in Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.

Because of the team’s repeated failures to make any headway past the second round after three tries in their past six playoff campaigns, the thought of trading away either player was a point of discussion.

Snyder has been blamed multiple times by fans and observers for having a defense that focused on funneling opposing teams to Gobert–a tactic that may have worked in the early 2010s, but not so much in the current generation.

Changing head coaches will likely have the organization shy away from trading away their duo plus core contributors like former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson and the recently-signed Mike Conley.

However, anyone else is likely going to be fair game this offseason as they find answers for their postseason struggles.

Should the Jazz again flounder in the playoffs next season, the likelihood of either Gobert or Mitchell being shipped out becomes an even greater outcome.

Gobert would be the casualty in this scenario as the Jazz build around the younger Mitchell.

All of this remains speculation until Snyder finally makes a decision sometime this offseason as the franchise cannot wait too long lest they miss out on possible moves.

Other notable names that have been mentioned in head coaching searches around the league include Mike D’Antoni, Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson, former Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel and Terry Stotts.