It seems that Donovan Mitchell’s days in Utah might truly be numbered. The Jazz are reportedly looking to trade away the All-Star guard, ushering in a new era for the club. With Rudy Gobert now in Minnesota, Mitchell’s departure would signal a full tear-down for Utah’s new CEO Danny Ainge.
Mitchell — a three-time NBA All-Star and New York native — has been tied to the Knicks prior to this offseason. The Miami Heat buzz is alive and well. Surely Utah has fielded a number of calls across the league, though the Jazz understandably have a steep asking price for their home-grown star.
It’s unclear what Utah’s top priorities are here. It seems likely the front office will consider bottoming out and amassing draft picks to make a run at Victor Wembanyama. At the same time, small market clubs sometimes prefer to re-tool rather than rebuild. Perhaps Ainge and Co. will accept ready-made players rather than draft equity. With that frame, let’s explore some trade proposals for the Utah Jazz and Donovan Mitchell.
The Knicks land Mitchell
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When are the Knicks not in the hunt for a new star? New York president Leon Rose and his new-look front office had some success in getting the club back to the postseason two years ago, but after a disappointing ’21-22 campaign, surely the franchise is getting antsy. A trade for Donovan Mitchell makes almost too much sense.
New York will need to free up some cap space to make this happen. They could jettison players like Evan Fournier and Derrick Rose to do so. But they may also want to deal Julius Randle, as that relationship appears frayed. That’s where the Hornets come into play.
In this deal, the Knicks indeed land Mitchell. Charlotte, meanwhile, finds an athletic big to pair with LaMelo Ball while simultaneously freeing up space in the back court. Danny Ainge reunites with his old friend Terry Rozier, although admittedly the Jazz are probably seeking a few more draft picks. (For this trade and the ones to follow, we can assume a little creative flexibility around draft picks.)
The Mitchell deal becomes a blockbuster*
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If Donovan Mitchell wants to play in New York, perhaps the cross-town Nets would also be appealing. Brooklyn is on the verge of a massive shake-up — could a blockbuster be in store?
In this scenario, Utah lands several future first-round picks, while also reeling in rookie Nikola Jovic. Legally that would mean this trade would need to wait until August to be completed, but he and Strus would be two intriguing pieces for the Jazz. Joe Harris and his lights out shooting, meanwhile, could be flipped quite easily as needed.
The rest of the trade is self-explanatory. Miami lands Kevin Durant to play alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. This allows Brooklyn to bring in a haul of win-now players to fill the massive hole KD’s departure would create.
*Because of the designated rookie rule, Brooklyn would need to trade away Ben Simmons in this scenario.
NOLA goes all in and trades for Mitchell
The future looks bright for the Pelicans. The team just inked Zion Williamson to a five-year max extension. Brandon Ingram is coming off of a career year. Acquiring CJ McCollum looks like a home run.
To cap it all off, NOLA is flush with extra draft capital after trading away Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday, respectively. In a crowded Western Conference, there’s no time like the present to push your chips in.
The above trade gives the Jazz a load of future draft picks to play with. At the same time, both Jonas Valanciunas and Devonte’ Graham are serviceable players who are assets in and of themselves. The dearth of picks above could be sweetened, as NOLA really does have plenty in the cupboard.
A core of Zion Williamson, Donovan Mitchell, Brandon Ingram, and CJ McCollum would become an immediate offensive powerhouse. Look out.
What may end up happening in the end
At the end of the day, Donovan Mitchell may very well become a member of the New York Knicks. His name has been tied to the Big Apple for a while now, and Danny Ainge likely wants picks and flexibility above all else.
In fact, Utah reportedly asked New York for six first-round picks. Given the huge amount other teams have coughed up for star players, that’s not an impossible cost of doing business, but goodness is that a big number.
Still, the Knicks and Jazz both need to make a change. The above may be tough to stomach, but as they say, a good compromise leaves both sides feeling unhappy.
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