On Sunday afternoon, Donovan Mitchell once again returned to the Delta Center, cheered on by the still adoring fans that often wonder, what if?
With Mitchell garnering some light MVP buzz (consideration for a top-5 candidate), leading the Cleveland Cavaliers through the Eastern Conference with ease, including their 57th win of the season on Sunday over the Utah Jazz, it’s understandable that Jazz fans are left to think about what could have been.
What if the Jazz had tried to run it back one more time? What if they hadn’t decided to trade away all of their All-Stars in 2022? Was there meat left on the bone? Could the Jazz have kept Mitchell and tried to revamp the roster with just the assets attained from the Rudy Gobert trade? Could a coaching change have fixed what was broken? What if the Jazz hadn’t traded Mitchell?
But timing is everything.
“We had plenty of opportunities to get things done, but we had injuries that one year and the last year we were together, we just didn’t capitalize,” Mitchell said. “We had a really talented team, a talented group. But sometimes...you just miss your window.”
It’s the same thing that Mike Conley stressed to the Minnesota Timberwolves young roster after he was traded away from the Jazz. Appreciate the moments and opportunities you have because the windows for ultimate success in the NBA are narrow and not everyone is guaranteed to have a legitimate shot at contending for a title.
Wtih Mitchell and Gobert, the Jazz were never able to get past the second round of the playoffs, and by the time the team was split up and sold off in favor of future assets and youth, there wasn’t any more that anyone involved felt like they could have given.
“I’ve talked about it with my friends a lot, like comparing this team we have now versus the first place team we had here (in Utah),” Mitchell said. “But I think it’s just one of those things, we missed our window. And then I’ve gotten to a point where, it’s okay. We did a lot of positive things. Now, I’m in a similar position here, I’m trying to capitalize on the window we have, because you realize that there’s only a certain amount of windows.”
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) jumps up to take a shot against the Utah Jazz during an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 23, 2025.| Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski (22) falls while driving the ball toward the basket during an NBA game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 23, 2025.| Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Isaiah Collier (13) drives the ball toward the basket with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Craig Porter Jr. (9) on defense during an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 23, 2025.| Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (2) falls while guarded by Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) during an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 23, 2025.| Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Jazz forward KJ Martin (99) passes the ball during an NBA game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 23, 2025.| Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski (22) falls while driving the ball toward the basket during an NBA game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 23, 2025.| Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) embraces Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) after an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 23, 2025. The Cleveland Cavaliers won 120-91.| Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) falls while dribbling the ball during an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 23, 2025.| Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) takes possession of the ball during an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 23, 2025.| Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Cleveland Cavaliers players smile after winning 120-91 in an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 23, 2025.| Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) runs the ball down the court with Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) on defense during an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 23, 2025.| Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) falls on the court while guarding Utah Jazz forward Cody Williams (5) during an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 23, 2025.| Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) yells after the Cleveland Cavaliers did not allow the Utah Jazz to score while on defense during an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 23, 2025.| Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) hugs Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) after an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 23, 2025. The Cleveland Cavaliers won 120-91.| Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski (22) yells toward the referee during an NBA game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 23, 2025.| Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski (22) hits the ball out of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome’s (2) possession during an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 23, 2025.| Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) jumps up to shoot the ball during an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 23, 2025.| Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) jumps up to take a shot against the Utah Jazz during an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 23, 2025.| Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) looks down the court at his teammates during an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 23, 2025.| Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Cleveland Cavaliers forward De'Andre Hunter (12) prepares to shoot the ball guarded by Utah Jazz forward KJ Martin (99) during an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 23, 2025.| Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Of course, comparing the Jazz’s 2020-21 team that had the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, to the Cleveland Cavaliers No. 1 Eastern Conference team of today is not exactly a one-to-one thought experiment.
For one, Mitchell is older, wiser and is playing a different game than he was in Utah. This season in particular, his usage is down, he’s taking fewer shots and it’s all been an intentional step back in order to elevate the potential of the collective group of players on the Cavaliers' roster. Plainly put, that’s not the player that was in Utah and it’s not what was being asked of him.
Additionally, the rosters have completely different makeups, and the competition in the West was different. And there’s also this — everyone was tired.
Quin Snyder stepped away, knowing that the Jazz, in that iteration, had done all they could do. The players deeply felt that they had missed their window. With all of those feelings, it would have been hard to come back and try to rally one more time. That’s kind of what it felt like the team did in 2021-22, and they were unceremoniously knocked out of the playoffs in the first round.
And it’s not just Mitchell that is in a position to survey how things have unfolded and wonder about what could have been. Collin Sexton, who spent the first four years of his NBA career in Cleveland, would have every right to look at what the Cavaliers are accomplishing now, and think about what it could have been like if he hadn’t been included in the Mitchell trade.
But does he think about what he might be missing out on?
“Not at all,” Sexton said. “This is my team. Those guys in the locker room have my back and I have theirs. I’m here with the Jazz, and I’m gonna wear the name across my chest proudly. I don’t look back to where I was at. I had a good time, but you gotta move on. This is the place for me.”
It’s probably more fair to wonder what could have been if the roster had been constructed differently in the years leading up to 2021. If the Jazz brass could have done more or done things differently to extend the Jazz’s window.
But looking back will not take the Jazz forward. The hope is that the next time the Jazz have a title window, they’ll be able to capitalize before it closes once again.