It was noted earlier in July that the Utah Jazz were not listening to offers from other teams for star guard Donovan Mitchell following the blockbuster Rudy Gobert trade to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
This made sense in that the 25-year-old Mitchell would figure into the Jazz’ long-term rebuild plan under new head coach Will Hardy.
Apparently, this is no longer the case. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Tuesday that rival teams believe Utah is showing a willingness to listen on possible trade scenarios for Mitchell.
Woj goes on to report that the asking price appears to be steep, “but in the wake of Utah’s recent Rudy Gobert blockbuster deal to Minnesota, the Jazz are no longer simply dismissing calls on Mitchell.”
Related: Ideal Donovan Mitchell trade scenarios from the Utah Jazz
Gobert netted the Utah Jazz four future first-round picks (three unprotected) and five players in a trade with Minnesota. Realistically, Mitchell would require an even larger bounty.
- Donovan Mitchell stats (2021-22): 25.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 5.3 APG, 45% shooting, 36% 3-point
Still having yet to hit his prime, Mitchell will interest pretty much every NBA team in trade talks moving forward this summer. As for his future in Utah, it seems that the star guard and his organization are on different trajectories.
“A year ago there was a lot of attempts by the organization to make Donovan happy so that he would stick there. I think with Danny Ainge in charge it’s like, ‘We don’t care about that anymore. We’re gonna do what we’ve gotta do. Maybe it includes you, maybe it doesn’t.’”
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on Utah Jazz, Donovan Mitchell dynamic
Teams potentially vying for Donovan Mitchell trade with the Utah Jazz
We’ve heard the Miami Heat linked to pretty much every big-name player on the trade market, including Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets.
With the legendary Pat Riley calling the shots, the Heat have also been linked to Mitchell himself. Miami could offer up reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro as the centerpiece of a trade with Utah.
Even with Jalen Brunson in the mix, Mitchell could make sense for the New York Knicks. They have added a ton of future draft capital to the mix and have been linked to Mitchell on a near never-ending loop in recent weeks. New York could opt to offer up R.J. Barrett as the centerpiece — rolling with a dynamic backcourt of Mitchell and Brunson.
There’s a number of other teams who would be involved in Mitchell trade talks with Utah. From a pure logistical standpoint, squads such as the Golden State Warriors and New Orleans Pelicans would have the assets to entice the Utah Jazz.
It’s something to watch as the NBA summer continues and trade rumors continue to be the name of the game.