The Utah Jazz announced Sunday afternoon that head coach Quin Snyder is stepping down after eight seasons as head coach. It was reported earlier this week that Snyder had been considers his future with the team, and had been in communication with the Utah front office about its decision. With the latest announcement, his time with the Jazz is officially coming to an end.
“Quin Snyder has embodied what jazz basketball is all about for the past eight years,” Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith said. “The tireless work ethic and attention to detail Quin displays every day is a testament to the professionalism he is. I have nothing but admiration for Quin and respect his decision. On behalf of Ashley and I, along with our ownership group and entire organization, thank Quin and Amy from the bottom of our hearts for all of their contributions to the State of Utah and the Jazz and wish them only the best.”
In Snyder’s eight seasons with the Jazz, he went 372-264 and only missed the playoffs twice. However, despite being one of the best regular season teams in the league during his tenure, that success didn’t translate to the playoffs, as the team never reached the Conference Finals. West. More recently, the Jazz were sent to the first round of the playoffs this season by the Dallas Mavericks, despite having an advantage with Luka Doncic sidelined for three games.
Despite exiting the playoffs early, Snyder’s departure is somewhat surprising considering he had two years left on his contract. The Jazz were looking to sign him for an extension, but he ultimately decided to walk away from the team he helped make him a regular playoff contender.
Snyder is one of the most respected coaches in the league and would be a highly coveted candidate for another head coaching job. However, ESPN have reported that he may take a year off and return to training after next season. He’s been mentioned as a possible successor to longtime San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich whenever he decides to retire, and there could be other coaching vacancies as well. next summer.
For Utah, he will now begin his search for a new head coach amid what was already expected to be a pivotal offseason for the team.
The Jazz have an initial list of candidates, by Shams Charaniawhich includes Jazz assistant Alex Jensen, former Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts, Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant, Celtics assistant Will Hardy and Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin.
There have been doubts about Utah’s ability to win with Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert as franchise cornerstones, and the well-documented tension between the two players hasn’t helped matters either. Gobert has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate this summer, while rumors have swirled that Mitchell may seek a trade in the near future if the Jazz don’t adequately build around him.