“What I saw during the season was a group of players that really didn't believe in each other" - NBA executive gives damning reason for breaking up team in 2022 offseason

The Utah Jazz have been one of the top teams in the NBA over the last few seasons. But after a disappointing loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, the organization has decided to move in a different direction

The changes they made this offseason suggest they are gearing up for a lengthy rebuild.

It started with the news that the Jazz traded All-Star big man Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a multiplayer deal on July 6. Just over a month later, they parted ways with All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell by shipping him off to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji, three future unprotected draft picks and two pick swaps.

Quality veteran pieces like Jordan Clarkson, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Mike Conley are also rumored to be on the trading block. The cupboards could be bare for the Utah Jazz as they approach the beginning of the 2022/23 season.

It was clear that Mitchell and Gobert reached their ceiling as core pieces, and were never going to be able to lead the franchise to an NBA title. So Jazz executive Danny Ainge made the tough decision to move on from the two All-Stars.

Ainge recently spoke about the moves this offseason, saying that he didn't see a team that "believed in each other."

Ainge also went into depth about how he and the front office believed that this was the "direction we needed to go."

"I wasn't sure what to expect when I got here... What I saw was some players who didn't believe in each other. ... Maybe I thought they were just waiting for the playoffs, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt... Was unanimous this was direction we needed to go"

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Utah Jazz look towards their NBA future with rebuild

Utah Jazz and NBA executive Danny Ainge at a press conference

It's going to be a long process for the Jazz, which is expected when you trade away star talent like Mitchell and Gobert. But by acquiring promising young players such as Collin Sexton and a plethora of future first-round picks, the Jazz are going to have every opportunity to get back into contention in just a few years time.

Jazz fans that are disencouraged by a long rebuild need to remember this: they have a front office executive who has been down this road before.

Danny Ainge previously kickstarted a rebuild during his time with the Boston Celtics when he dealt Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets in 2013.

The rebuild was a success as it landed them young stars like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, and provided them with a core that led them to the NBA Finals this past season.

The Utah Jazz kick off their 2022/23 NBA campaign when they host the Denver Nuggets at Vivint Smart Home Arena on October 19.