Jazz CEO didn't see players who believed in each other last season

Apr 28, 2022; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith speaks with Utah Jazz CEO of basketball operations Danny Ainge prior to a game against the Dallas Mavericks during game six of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs at Vivint Arena. Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

Jazz CEO Danny Ainge on last season: 'What I saw was some players who didn't believe in each other'

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 9/12/22

Following their sixth straight early-playoff exit in the spring, the Utah Jazz blew up their team this summer.

They traded All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves respectively, while moving starting forward Royce O'Neale to the Brooklyn Nets as well. They've also floated the likes of Jordan Clarkson and Mike Conley Jr. in trade rumors this offseason.

Kicking off the frantic summer in Salt Lake City a few days before the Gobert trade went down was also the organization's decision to replace head coach Quin Snyder with Will Hardy. On Monday during a press conference, CEO Danny Ainge spoke about the offseason and his thoughts on the 2021-2022 campaign, sharing sharp criticism.

Ainge was asked about this quote later: "I think individually they have resolve. I just don't believe that collectively they did. And so we see a lot of players trying to do it on their own, as the belief in one another wasn't as great as other teams I've been on and around."
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) September 12, 2022