It is clear Jazz star Donovan Mitchell and his reps want the perception to be that he is unhappy about coach Quin Snyder’s abrupt resignation.
What’s unclear is whetrher that will propel Mitchell to ask for a trade — or just the opposite. Could this give Mitchell a chance to influence who his next head coach in Utah will be?
Though Mitchell’s former assistant coach in Utah and buddy Johnnie Bryant of the Knicks quickly emerged as a lead candidate, a source close to Mitchell told ESPN.com on Sunday night Mitchell was “disappointed, unnerved, unsettled.“
Then Monday, a Utah fan tweeted Spence Checketts, son of former Knicks president Dave Checketts, had said on his radio show Snyder had tried to call Mitchell recently “but Don’ wouldn’t take the call.’’
That Checketts report didn’t sit well with Mitchell, who responded to the charge on Twitter:
“I choose to leave a lot of what y’all say alone but y’all gon stop blatantly lying on my name,” Mitchell wrote.
Checketts told The Post Tuesday his radio remarks were misrepresented and all he said was that Snyder reached out to Mitchell but they had not connected. Checketts formerly worked for the Jazz radio broadcast and is well-connected in the organization.
Mitchell still hasn’t tweeted about the loss of Snyder as his teammate Rudy Gobert did.
Multiple sources say Gobert and Mitchell have never repaired their relationship that hit rock bottom when the pandemic started with each player — Gobert first — testing positive for COVID.
“Forever grateful for Quin,” Gobert tweeted. “Gave me a chance 8 years ago and believed in me when not a lot of people did. And helped our team grow into a Western conference powerhouse through all the ups and downs. Wishing you nothing but the best in your next chapter!”
Sources say Utah president Danny Ainge doesn’t really know Bryant and people around the league are skeptical he would hire someone with no head-coaching experience unless Mitchell pushed for it. Mitchell called Bryant, who attended the University of Utah, a “brother” after the Knicks hired him.
One coaching source said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau would be fine if Bryant jumped ship to Utah since it was senior executive William Wesley who pushed for the hiring of his friend Bryant.
Ironically, it…