Utah Jazz Notes: Mitchell USU visit teased, Zanik misses out on Philly GM job, and more

Donovan Mitchell will likely be headed to the USU Football game this weekend. In other news, Utah Jazz Assistant GM Justin Zanik is staying put.

With just 10 days remaining before the start of NBA preseason, things are starting to happen across the league as excitement grows. Before you know it, media day and training camp will be here, then we’ll have the joy of seeing our beloved Utah Jazz back on the hardwood for preseason to tide us over until the regular season gets underway.

At that point, you can bet that there will be a greater outpouring of Jazz news than will be easy to keep up with. So in preparation for that moment, let’s go ahead and knock out a few lingering tidbits of news hanging around out there, shall we?

Mitchell visiting USU teased

Donovan Mitchell has shown quite a bit of love to the University of Utah by attending their home opener, then donning the custom jersey they made for him at their late night duel against University of Washington. However, the Utes aren’t the only ones aiming to win over Donovan’s fandom. Utah State Football has gotten into the mix as well, offering jerseys to both he and Royce O’Neale along with some other cool opportunities at this Saturday’s game against Air Force.

Mitchell showed interest in attending on Twitter, but made no official declaration. However, I have a feeling that Spida is indeed going to be up in beautiful Logan, Utah on Saturday. Why’s that, you ask? Check out this tweet from Utah State basketball player Sam Merrill–

A certain special guest, you say? Hmm, I wonder who that could be.

Don’t be surprised if the Aggie basketball star has some insider info. And don’t be surprised if the guest he’s referring to is exactly who you think it will be.

Mitchell shows some love to BYU

Of course, U of U and Utah State weren’t the only schools to get some Mitchell love. Following BYU Football’s incredible win over sixth-ranked Wisconsin, Spida was quick to sing their praises as well–

Donovan’s done a good job of being diplomatic and showing support for both teams in Utah’s heated rivalry, but his Jazz teammate Joe Ingles apparently wants him to stop waffling and pick a side–

Mitchell ultimately responded by asking who Ingles’ team was, to which he took the easy way out with an indisputable answer–

Well played, Joe. Well played.

Ingles also made it clear that it’s unlikely that he’ll be appearing at football games for either school any time in the near future–

https://twitter.com/Joeingles7/status/1041469044883251202

Justin Zanik misses out on Philly GM position

It was reported earlier in the week that Utah Jazz Assistant GM Justin Zanik was on the shortlist for the Philadelphia 76ers’ vacant GM position. He was called in for an additional interview, and his odds of being selected seemed relatively high. This would have been exciting for Zanik, but it was somewhat concerning for Jazz fans as Zanik has been a great part of their success.

In a shocking move, however, the Sixers instead opted to hire former player Elton Brand as their new GM. He reportedly made a strong impression on Sixers ownership and head coach Brett Brown, and emerged as the most promising prospect.

It will be intriguing to see how the former Sixer, who’s just two years removed from retiring as a player, will fare as he aims to continue ‘The Process.’ Meanwhile, Jazz fans can breathe yet another sigh of relief now that Justin Zanik will officially be staying put in Salt Lake City (for now).

Did Donovan Mitchell sway Dwyane Wade to return?

Donovan Mitchell and Dwyane Wade have been compared to one another on several occasions. But it appears this offseason that they went from mere comparable players to actual friends. Mitchell participated in a training camp that Wade put on, and Dwyane was quick to sing Mitchell’s praises as ready to take a big leap in his sophomore season.

Shortly thereafter, Wade announced that he’d be returning to Miami for one final season. His future was somewhat on the fence, as many thought he may hang it up prior to the upcoming campaign. Instead, the legendary guard will be back in action one last time.

And is it possible that Donovan Mitchell had something to do with the matter? Perhaps helping Wade to get off the fence and declare his return? We’ll probably never know for sure, but this Instagram post sure makes it seem as if such might be the case–

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnzvOv1luL4/?taken-by=spidadmitchell

Whether Mitchell was instrumental or not, Wade has certainly decided to #RunItBack in 2018-19.

Hopefully both he, and more importantly his younger counterpart Donovan Mitchell, will fare extremely well this upcoming season. NBA Basketball is nearly upon us.