One day after ESPN’s Adrian Wojnowarski reported that the Utah Jazz “are showing a willingness to listen on possible trade scenarios” for Donovan Mitchell, the Jazz are again a topic of discussion among the national media.
That discussion centers around what the future could look like for the Jazz and their All-Star guard.
Whatever happens, Wojnarowski added that the asking price for Mitchell “appears to be steep.”
On Wednesday night, The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Tony Jones reported the Jazz and New York Knicks have “begun discussions” on a potential Mitchell trade.
Would a Donovan Mitchell trade signal a full rebuild?
During ESPN’s “NBA Today” on Wednesday, Kendrick Perkins talked about the state of the Jazz, in light of Tuesday’s report and Utah’s recent trade of Rudy Gobert.
When asked about Utah’s offseason, Perkins pointed to how Jazz CEO Danny Ainge’s track record includes building up teams through the draft — Utah’s trade that sent Gobert to Minnesota included a cache of draft picks.
“I thought this (past season) was the last time for the Utah Jazz to prove something, not just to him but the ownership group,” Perkins said.
“(Ainge) is about to blow up the whole thing, Donovan Mitchell will be traded at some point in this season. I’m willing to bet everything I own and have in the bank account that he will be gone.”
Jazz front office personnel, in discussing Gobert’s trade last weekend, said they believed that the team’s championship window had passed, and that played into the decision to trade the All-Star center.
“The season wasn’t very much fun this year,” Ainge said. “The draft wasn’t very much fun. Free agency wasn’t very much fun. We were over the tax, had no draft picks and our team lost in the first round. It wasn’t fun for us.
“We want it to be fun for our fans and our players, but we haven’t had much flexibility to do anything over the last little while.”
What might the Jazz be looking for in return for trading Mitchell?
Mitchell, 25, has four years left on his contract, with the final year a player option.
NBA insider Ian Begley, who writes for SNY.tv, said “teams monitoring the situation believe the Jazz currently are prioritizing draft picks in a return for Mitchell.”
What are the most likely Mitchell trade destinations?
The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor mentioned three teams who’ve been perhaps the most interested in obtaining Mitchell — the New York Knicks, Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets.
One thing the Knicks have going for them is a solid amount of draft capital: New York has eight tradable first-round picks, per CBS Sports.
That is why ESPN’s Brian Windhorst — who said there’s a “strong likelihood” Mitchell is traded — favors the Knicks in any Mitchell trade discussions.
“Some people feel that everything the Jazz are doing right now is just an effort to elicit the best offer they can get from the Knicks. I agree that the Heat are intriguing but as of this moment, the Heat only have two first-round picks they’re allowed to trade,” Windhorst said during a segment on ESPN’s “Get Up.”
“From a draft picks standpoint, the Knicks have more to offer than anybody.”
O’Connor expressed that the market for Mitchell is likely to hinge on where another high-profile player — Kevin Durant, who’s requested a trade from the Nets — ends up.
With the kind of money and assets teams would have to give up to obtain Durant, it’s likely to impact who can — and may desire — to trade for Mitchell.
“Utah could also use Brooklyn’s interest to drive up the price in the bidding war for Mitchell,” O’Connor wrote. “The Knicks have been the team most commonly tied to the Jazz guard, and with 11 first-round picks from 2023 through 2029, they’re armed with enough assets to make a competitive offer.
“Since many of their incoming firsts come with protections, they are devalued compared to unprotected firsts,” O’Connor continued. “But if the Knicks want to, they can probably put the strongest offer on the table with some combination of picks and young players.”
When could a Mitchell deal get done?
National experts agree that nothing appears imminent on a possible Mitchell trade.
“To be clear: No Mitchell deal is expected any time soon, barring a significant offer that Utah would be forced to consider,” Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer wrote.
Or, the Jazz could stay the course with their young star guard and build around him for the future.
“Things evolve in the NBA so I couldn’t sit here and say anyone is (untouchable). We are trying to build a championship team, but there is no intent there at all (to trade Mitchell),” Jazz general manager Justin Zanik said last weekend.