The Utah Jazz have become notorious for overachieving in the regular season, then crashing out early in the playoffs — despite putting together an enviable, balanced roster.
Now, the first domino in a potential rebuild could fall sooner than later. ESPN reported Tuesday that head coach Quin Snyder might be on his way out, despite two years left on his contract.
Snyder shouldn’t have a tough time finding a job. With a track record that goes back to 1992 and includes stints with Coach K at Duke and Mike Budenholzer in Atlanta, he’ll likely be the most coveted coach on the market.
- Hired in 2014, Snyder is tied with Steve Kerr as the NBA’s third-longest-tenured coach.
- He’s 372-264 (58.5%) with the Jazz — both rank second in franchise history behind the legendary Jerry Sloan.
- He took only three seasons to turn a 25-win team into a 51-win powerhouse.
The report implies Snyder wants to move on, perhaps influenced by the unconvincing superstar tandem of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, who haven’t been on the same page when it matters most.
The Jazz are just 17-22 in the playoffs with Mitchell and Gobert playing together, compared to 200-108 in the regular season.
Snyder is also severely underpaid, making a reported salary of $2 million per year. For comparison, Gregg Popovich, the NBA’s highest-paid coach, makes roughly $11 million.
