News of the latest domino in the Utah Jazz’s offseason came Wednesday night, when the Deseret News confirmed reports that the team was finalizing a deal to send Patrick Beverley to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson.
While that foreshadows there are likely more moves coming for the Jazz, there’s still the big question lingering over the franchise: What’s going to happen with Donovan Mitchell?
Will the three-time All-Star guard still be in a Jazz uniform next year as the face of a revamped franchise, or will he be traded as part of an even bigger rebuild?
On Thursday morning, The Athletic’s Tony Jones reported that Utah has multiple trade offers for Mitchell from teams outside of the New York Knicks “that they deem intriguing and worth pursuing,” a possible avenue the Jazz could explore if talks stall between the Jazz and Knicks.
Jones also said that while Mitchell hasn’t asked to be traded, he reportedly has three preferred destinations if he is: the Knicks, the Brooklyn Nets and the Miami Heat.
“Mitchell can’t be traded to the Nets as long as Ben Simmons is on the roster, which makes that destination unlikely, and now even more unlikely with Kevin Durant staying put,” Jones wrote.
“The Heat simply don’t have the assets that the Jazz are looking for, which makes that destination unlikely.”
That, of course, leads back to the Knicks — news about New York and Utah engaging in trade discussions involving Mitchell have dominated the airwaves the past several weeks — and “the Knicks have the assets that the Jazz seek, which has made them a natural potential trade partner.”
It’s been a busy week for NBA offseason news.
On Monday, The Athletic reported that the Jazz had rejected a trade offer from New York that would send Mitchell to the Knicks and Utah receiving Evan Fournier, Obi Toppin, “additional salary,” two unprotected first-round picks and three other first-round draft picks.
Then on Tuesday, one of the biggest questions of the NBA offseason had a resolution, when the Nets announced that Durant, who earlier requested a trade from the Nets, ultimately will stay in Brooklyn.
That led to speculation about how Durant being off the market could impact any Mitchell trade talks.
The Deseret News’ Ryan McDonald argued that while Durant staying with the Nets could complicate the potential market for Mitchell, it’s just as possible that it doesn’t affect it.
“If the Jazz are indeed going to trade Mitchell, doesn’t it stand to reason that what Jazz CEO Danny Ainge will be most after again is picks instead of players, barring a team offering someone truly elite or with elite potential?” McDonald wrote.
“As such, the Knicks likely remain the team best equipped to present an offer for Mitchell that would be of most interest to the Jazz.”