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Quin Snyder Steps Down As Jazz Coach

June 5th, 2022 at 4:33pm CST by JD Shaw

Quin Snyder has officially stepped down from his position as head coach of the Jazz, the team announced today in a press release. Snyder recently finished his eighth season with the organization.

Snyder accrued a 372-264 regular-season record with Utah, making him the second-winningest coach in franchise history, behind only Jerry Sloan. He thanked the Jazz and the state of Utah in his parting remarks, explaining that he felt the team needed a different voice going forward.

“At the core, and what drives me every day is our players and their passion for the game, their desire to constantly work to improve and their dedication to the team and the Jazz,” Snyder said as part of a much larger statement. “I strongly feel they need a new voice to continue to evolve. That’s it. No philosophical differences, no other reason. After eight years, I just feel it is time to move onward.

“I needed to take time to detach after the season and make sure this was the right decision. I greatly respect and appreciate (team owner) Ryan (Smith), (CEO) Danny (Ainge) and Justin (Zanik‘s) discussions regarding moving forward together, I just know it is time. I am forever appreciative of all the players, coaches, partners, and people I have worked with at the Jazz.”

The Jazz, who join the Hornets as the only franchises without a head coach, plan to immediately start searching for a replacement for Snyder, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter).

Utah made the playoffs six times under Snyder’s leadership, but never advanced past the second round, posting an overall postseason record of 21-30 (.412). The team finished 49-33 this season and lost to the Mavericks in six games during the first round of the playoffs.

Snyder and the Jazz had been discussing a possible contract extension, but the idea that he could leave the team this spring has been out there since Marc Stein first suggested it in a pair of stories in March. According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), talks between Snyder and the Jazz were “amicable” and their relationship is still strong, but the veteran coach simply felt it was time to move on.

Snyder’s deal ran through the 2022/23 season and included a coach’s option for the following campaign, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, who previously stated that Snyder would likely take a year off from coaching if he stepped down from the position.

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Northwest Notes: Snyder, Trail Blazers, Sochan, Washington

June 4th, 2022 at 7:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Coach Quin Snyder’s differences with the Jazz are about more than money, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said in an appearance on the “Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective” podcast. An ESPN report this week stated that Snyder and the team haven’t been able to reach an agreement on a contract extension, and MacMahon clarified that it’s not because the team is unwilling to make a competitive offer.

“There’s an extension offered that’s still on the table,” MacMahon said. “I don’t have exact terms of it, but it would put him up there with the highest-paid coaches in the NBA. It’s an offer that is reflective of the quality of his work.”

The Jazz are also providing Snyder with the choice of continuing under his current contract, which runs through the end of next season and gives him an option for the 2023/24 season, and working things out year by year. MacMahon adds that his “informed speculation” is that Snyder will leave the team at some point this offseason and will likely take a year off from coaching.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

  • The timing of the ESPN story this week could have been a strategy to push negotiations toward a conclusion, speculates Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. He adds that the issues involved likely center around whether the Jazz plan to remain a contender or embark on a rebuilding project. Larsen also believes there are talks about whether Snyder will officially be given a say in front office decisions and how much control management will have over the day-to-day operations of the team.
  • Although the Trail Blazers aren’t currently for sale, the team could wind up being auctioned off because it is part of the Paul G. Allen Trust, which is being managed by his sister, Jody Allen, tweets Scott Soshnick of Sportico. Nike co-founder Phil Knight and Dodgers co-owner Alan Smolinisky recently submitted a bid of more than $2 billion for the team.
  • Baylor forward Jeremy Sochan had a pre-draft workout with the Thunder today, tweets Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. Kentucky point TyTy Washington had a session with the Thunder on Friday and will work out for the Hawks on Sunday, according to Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog (Twitter link). OKC owns three first-round picks and may be considering both players at No. 12.
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Quin Snyder’s Future With Jazz Remains Uncertain

June 1st, 2022 at 8:28am CST by Luke Adams

It has been over a month since Utah’s season came to an end as a result of a first-round loss to Dallas, but there’s still no resolution on Jazz head coach Quin Snyder, whose future remains unclear, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

Sources tell ESPN’s duo that Snyder has engaged in several weeks of “good faith” conversations with Jazz ownership and management as the team attempts to secure his return for the 2022/23 season and beyond.

Snyder is under contract for next season and holds a coach’s option on the 2023/24 campaign. However, as Marc Stein first detailed in a pair of stories in March, there’s a sense that he’s unsure about committing long-term to the Jazz after spending the last eight seasons with the franchise. There have been rumors that Snyder could walk away from his position this offseason.

Stein previously reported that Snyder turned down an extension offer from Utah prior to the 2021/22 season, and Wojnarowski and MacMahon say the Jazz maintain interest in extending the coach’s contract. However, the team would also be happy if Snyder simply decides to return for next season on his current deal, sources tell ESPN.

Snyder didn’t express interest in pursuing any one of the three NBA head coaching jobs that opened up this spring, according to Wojnarowski and MacMahon, who write that discussions between him and the Jazz have centered on “philosophical issues” and how the club can take the next step toward legitimate title contention.

Neither side has set a deadline to reach a resolution, so the talks are expected to continue, per ESPN’s report.

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Fischer’s Latest: Jazz, Conley, Snyder, Popovich, Graham

May 11th, 2022 at 9:33am CST by Luke Adams

Speculation about the potential breakup of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert appears to be fueled more by people outside of the Jazz organization than those within it, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, who says sources from the team and around the NBA believe that CAA has been responsible for many of the whispers involving Mitchell’s future.

According to Fischer, team owner Ryan Smith is willing to spend big on a contender, and Utah has no plans to rebuild. Smith also likes the idea of having multiple players in the 2023 All-Star Game, which the Jazz will host.

Although some rival executives believe a Gobert trade is a possibility and view the Mavericks, Hawks, and Raptors as potential destinations, Fischer says the Jazz are focused on upgrading their defense, so moving a three-time Defensive Player of the Year seems counterintuitive. On the other hand, complementary players like Bojan Bogdanovic, Royce O’Neale, and perhaps even Mike Conley are considered more realistic trade candidates.

Fischer wonders if the Clippers or the Knicks might have interest in Conley, another CAA client. With the Jazz seeking help on the wing, Evan Fournier could theoretically headline a Knicks offer for Conley if they miss out on Jalen Brunson, says Fischer, though he notes that some staffers in New York would prefer to stay in-house and give Immanuel Quickley an expanded role.

As for the Clippers, Fischer is skeptical that a Conley trade offer centered around sharpshooter Luke Kennard would appeal to a Utah team looking to improve its defense and suggests that a more realistic point guard target for L.A. would be John Wall, assuming he and the Rockets work out a buyout. Wall has also been linked to the Heat, but Fischer’s sources believe Miami’s interest predated last year’s acquisition of Kyle Lowry.

Here’s more from Fischer:

  • There’s “little expectation” among people close to the situation that Quin Snyder will leave the Jazz before his contract expires in 2023, says Fischer. Snyder also holds an option for the 2023/24 season.
  • Jazz CEO Danny Ainge doesn’t appear inclined to shake up the team’s basketball operations department. According to Fischer, major changes would likely only occur if former head of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey gets a top front office job elsewhere and wants to bring some Utah executives with him.
  • Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, who is traveling and considering his coaching future, plans to visit Belgrade for the EuroLeague Final Four later this month, a source tells Fischer. The general sense is that Popovich seems interested in coaching San Antonio for at least one more season, Fischer adds.
  • The Pelicans are among the teams believed to be considering a possible point guard upgrade this offseason, reports Fischer. Devonte’ Graham saw his role reduced significantly in the playoffs and some people around the league think he could end up on the trade block this offseason, but sources tell Fischer the Pels aren’t motivated to move on from Graham like they were with Eric Bledsoe a year ago.
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Western Notes: Craig, Snyder, Kings, Pelicans

May 10th, 2022 at 7:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Torrey Craig missed the last two games of the Suns‘ series vs. Dallas due to a right elbow contusion, but said today that he’s ready to go for Game 5, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link).

Craig only played six total minutes in the first two games of the series and hasn’t logged more than 11 minutes in a single playoff contest to date, so his availability won’t have a major impact on the Suns’ rotation.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

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Lakers May Be Waiting For Doc Rivers Or Quin Snyder In Coaching Search

May 7th, 2022 at 9:36pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers‘ gradual pace in searching for a new head coach may be a tactic to see if two prominent names become available. In his latest article for Substack, Marc Stein cites sources who say the team is waiting to find out if Sixers coach Doc Rivers or Jazz coach Quin Snyder will reach the open market.

There has been speculation that Philadelphia might part with Rivers if the team can’t get past Miami in its second-round series. Rivers has a checkered playoff history and recently came under fire for leaving Joel Embiid in the close-out game against Toronto with a 29-point lead. The star center was hit with an inadvertent elbow, fracturing his orbital bone and placing him in the concussion protocol, which forced him to miss the first two games against the Heat.

Rivers still has three seasons and $24MM remaining on the five-year deal he was given when he was hired in 2020, but some observers believe the Sixers would consider a change in the wake of a playoff exit. Rivers has a 100-54 regular season record in his two years in Philadelphia, but his team was upset in the second round of last year’s playoffs and he wasn’t hired by current president of basketball operations Daryl Morey.

Snyder has one year left on his contract with the Jazz. Utah is expected to be ready for changes after a first-round elimination, though if a coaching change is among them, it may be instigated by Snyder rather than by the team. He has spent eight seasons with the Jazz, compiling a 372-264 record. There have also been rumors that the Hornets would also consider Snyder in their coaching search if he becomes available.

The Lakers have been without a head coach since dismissing Frank Vogel on April 11. Former Warriors coach Mark Jackson, former Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts, Bucks assistant Darvin Ham and Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin have all interviewed for the position.

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Jazz Notes: Mitchell, Butler, Snyder, Paschall

May 5th, 2022 at 10:59am CST by Luke Adams

The 2022 offseason will be the most important of Donovan Mitchell‘s career so far, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic. As Jones writes, the Jazz‘s first-round loss to Dallas showed that Mitchell needs to become more stout defensively and must continue to improve his decision-making with the ball in his hands.

While Mitchell had another strong season in 2021/22, the Jazz will need him to take one more leap on both ends of the courts if they want to become true title contenders, says Jones, noting that the 25-year-old himself seems to recognize as much.

“I wasn’t where I wanted to be this year,” Mitchell said after Utah’s season ended. “And there were times this year when the ball rolled out that we didn’t show that we wanted to be a team with championship aspirations. … I’m looking forward to working on my game all summer, and getting into the gym. I’m looking forward to putting the work in.”

Here’s more out of Utah:

  • After helping Baylor win the national championship in 2021, Jared Butler didn’t have much of a role for the Jazz as a rookie, averaging 3.8 PPG and 1.5 APG in 42 games (8.6 MPG). However, Butler left his exit meeting with the team feeling optimistic that he’ll have more opportunities in 2022/23, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News.
  • Jazz head coach Quin Snyder underwent hip replacement surgery this week, per the team (Twitter link via Tim MacMahon of ESPN). The procedure had originally been set for June, but Snyder decided to get it done sooner rather than later.
  • Ryan Kostecka of UtahJazz.com takes a look at what’s next for some of Utah’s reserves, including Nickeil Alexander-Walker and restricted free agents like Eric Paschall and Trent Forrest. Paschall said his offseason goal is to improve his outside shooting. “I would love to become a 40% three-point shooter,” said the forward, who made 37.0% of his threes in 2021/22 after hitting just 30.1% in his first two NBA seasons.
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Hornets Rumors: Jordan, Kupchak, Head Coach Candidates

May 3rd, 2022 at 12:00pm CST by Rory Maher

The decision to fire former Hornets head coach James Borrego apparently came from owner Michael Jordan, not president of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. This contradicts a report last month that Kupchak was the driving force behind the move.

Sources tell Fischer that Jordan was unhappy with Charlotte’s poor defense, which fell from 16th in 2020/21 to 22nd this season. The Hornets also gave up 144 points to Indiana in last season’s play-in tournament and then 132 to Atlanta this season, both blowout losses.

The Hornets are in the early stages of their search to fill the coaching vacancy, Fischer writes. Kupchak has been mulling over candidates and is acting as though he’ll remain in charge of the team’s basketball operations even though his contract expires after the season, sources tell Fischer.

The team has discussed finding someone to eventually succeed Kupchak for years, but the Hornets want him to remain in place for at least the short term, assuming the two sides can work out their difference of opinion regarding salary, which sounds like a formality.

Prior to Adrian Wojnarowski’s report that the Hornets will interview Mike D’Antoni, Kenny Atkinson, Darvin Ham and Sean Sweeney for their head coaching job, Fischer explored some possible candidates, including D’Antoni and Atkinson.

Like the Kings, the Hornets are also searching for someone with previous head coaching experience. League sources tell Fischer that former Rockets head coach D’Antoni, Warriors assistants Mike Brown and Atkinson, and Vanderbilt head coach Jerry Stackhouse are potential candidates for the opening. Brown holds previous head coaching experience with the Cavaliers and Lakers and is a finalist for Sacramento’s job, while Atkinson was Brooklyn’s lead coach from 2016-20.

Fischer notes that D’Antoni has frequently been linked to the Sixers since Daryl Morey became president of basketball operations, but the team has consistently maintained that head coach Doc Rivers and the front office are aligned on their shared vision of the future. Rivers still is still owed an additional $24MM over three years following this season, so even if Morey did want to fire him, that would be a bitter pill for Philadelphia’s ownership to swallow, Fischer observes.

Echoing a report from Marc Stein, Fischer says one more name to keep an eye on for the Hornets is Jazz coach Quin Snyder, who still has one year remaining on his contract with Utah. Synder previously worked under Kupchak’s front office as a Lakers assistant and has ties to North Carolina — he played for Duke in college and was an assistant coach there prior to becoming Missouri’s head coach.

Snyder has repeatedly been linked to the Lakers‘ opening, but several sources tell Fischer that L.A. doesn’t appeal to Utah’s head coach.

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Stein’s Latest: Kings, M. Jackson, Russell, Brunson, Hornets

May 2nd, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Mike D’Antoni‘s inability to advance to the second round of head coaching interviews with the Kings suggests that the team is making it a priority to upgrade its defense, according to Marc Stein, who observes in his latest Substack article that Sacramento ranked 27th in defensive efficiency this season after placing 30th in 2020/21.

According to Stein, former Golden State coach and current ABC/ESPN broadcaster Mark Jackson – reportedly one of three finalists along with Steve Clifford and Mike Brown – impressed Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, and appears to have a legitimate shot of returning to an NBA bench. All three of Sacramento’s finalists are known for their “fondness for defense,” says Stein.

If Jackson isn’t hired by the Kings, he’s expected to be a candidate for the Lakers‘ job, though he may not be high on their wish list, Stein writes, adding that L.A. is expected to take its time with its head coaching search and likely won’t move as quickly as Sacramento’s has.

Here’s more from Stein:

  • A number of rival teams expect the Timberwolves to attempt to trade guard D’Angelo Russell this offseason, according to Stein. Russell, who is good friends with Karl-Anthony Towns, will be on an expiring $31.4MM contract in 2022/23 after struggling in Minnesota’s playoff series vs. Memphis.
  • Mavericks team officials are expressing plenty of confidence behind the scenes that the team will be able to work out a new deal with free agent point guard Jalen Brunson this summer, says Stein. New York, Detroit, and Indiana have frequently been cited as potential suitors for Brunson.
  • If Quin Snyder decides to leave the Jazz this spring, the Hornets would have interest in him for their head coaching position, league sources tell Stein. Charlotte is in the market for a replacement for James Borrego.
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Jazz Rumors: Snyder, Mitchell, Gobert, Offseason

April 29th, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Although the Jazz were eliminated in the first round for the third time in four years, the team’s ownership and management groups don’t consider head coach Quin Snyder part of the problem in Utah, sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic. The comments made by general manager Justin Zanik during a media session on Friday certainly back that up.

“Quin Snyder is one of the best coaches in the NBA,” Zanik said, according to Erik Walden and Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. “There is no other partner I would rather have as a coach and as a leader of our players and as a partner in our front office than Quin Snyder.”

According to Amick, Snyder has one guaranteed year left on his contract with the Jazz, then has an option year (the option decision is Snyder’s, not the team’s) for 2023/24. However, sources tell The Athletic that the head coach has been unsure for much of the year what his future holds and plans to assess his options now that the season is over. Staying with the Jazz, going to a new team, or even taking a year off are all options, Amick writes.

Veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein, who first reported on the Snyder situation in March, says today that the Lakers‘ interest in the veteran coach is serious, but adds that there’s skepticism in coaching circles that Snyder would leave Utah for Los Angeles, given the drama that surrounded Frank Vogel during his tenure with the team.

Stein, who reiterates that the Jazz unsuccessfully tried to extend Snyder prior to the 2021/22 season, agrees with Amick that the idea of the 55-year-old taking a year off isn’t out of the question. Snyder is “known to be held in high regard” by the Spurs, according to Stein, who suggests that a one-year hiatus from coaching could put him in position to become Gregg Popovich‘s successor.

Here’s more on the Jazz:

  • In addition to relaying Zanik’s comments about Snyder, Walden and Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune passed along several more of the most interesting quotes from the general manager’s Friday press conference. Notably, Zanik dismissed the idea that the interpersonal dynamics of Utah’s players – including Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert – are a concern. “They’ve given themselves to each other. And all the outside narratives is just a bunch of noise,” Zanik said. “Internally, I see it every day. These guys care about each other.” The GM also referred to Mitchell and Gobert as “foundational pieces.”
  • In a fascinating story for ESPN.com, Tim MacMahon takes a look at some of the steps the Jazz have taken to make sure Mitchell is comfortable in Utah and explains why multiple teams have been monitoring the situation closely in anticipation of the All-Star guard possibly asking to be traded. Within a story about the Knicks‘ ongoing interest in Mitchell, Marc Berman of The New York Post says league sources have speculated about the Heat being a potential landing spot for the 25-year-old.
  • As MacMahon outlines, Mitchell became the fourth player of 18 (at the time) who signed rookie scale extensions since the 2011 lockout to get a player option in his contract, and the first three (Paul George, Kyrie Irving, and Anthony Davis) all pushed for trades before those deals expired. Some rival executives have also speculated that market size is important to Mitchell, says MacMahon, whose story is worth reading in full.
  • According to John Hollinger of The Athletic, if Danny Ainge and the Jazz want to seriously shake up their roster this summer, trading Gobert would be the most logical way to do it. Hollinger identifies some hypothetical trade partners if Utah decides to go that route, breaking down how a Gobert deal might work for the Hornets, Hawks, Raptors, Knicks, or Grizzlies.
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