In the latest episode of his Hoop Collective podcast (video link), ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said people around the league still believe Donovan Mitchell will be traded, despite reports that the Jazz plan to retool around the All-Star guard following the Rudy Gobert blockbuster. His ESPN colleague Tim MacMahon agrees.
“I don’t think he’s on the roster when the season starts,” MacMahon said. “Maybe he is. I’d be shocked if he’s on the roster after the trade deadline.”
Tony Jones of The Athletic, who – along with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski – reported following the Gobert trade agreement that the Jazz don’t intend to move Mitchell, reiterated on Friday night that the team is “not amenable” to trading the former Louisville star. The plan is for Mitchell to be with the team for the start of the 2022/23 season, Jones says.
However, Jones added a caveat: If Utah receives an offer that’s similar in scale to the Gobert package, “it will be hard not listen.” Jones also notes that the Jazz will need to ensure they have Mitchell’s buy-in before committing to building the roster around him.
Mitchell and Gobert never seemed to be on the best of terms, so Mitchell may not view the Gobert trade unfavorably, especially if the front office is committed to flipping some of the assets from that package for win-now help.
Still, the team just hired a first-time head coach (Will Hardy) on a five-year contract and may be moving on from three of Mitchell’s best friends on the roster (Royce O’Neale was traded to Brooklyn, while Eric Paschall and Trent Forrest became unrestricted free agents after not receiving qualifying offers). So there will have to be conversations between the Jazz and the 25-year-old guard, Jones writes.
Here’s more on the Jazz:
- In initial negotiations between the Jazz and Timberwolves for Gobert, Utah was insisting on the inclusion of forward Jaden McDaniels, but Minnesota refused, according to Jones. That’s one reason why the package of draft picks (three unprotected first-rounders, a top-five protected first-rounder, and a swap) was so substantial — the Wolves preferred to give up extra draft assets rather than surrender McDaniels.
- The Jazz’s front office viewed Gobert’s super-max contract as a “hindrance,” sources tell Jones. The big man is owed a guaranteed $123MM over the next three seasons and has a $46.7MM player option for 2025/26, so moving that contract creates significant cap flexibility for Utah going forward.
- The Jazz are “not even close” to finished with their offseason, according to Jones, who says a logjam in the backcourt will need to be cleared. In addition to Mitchell, Utah still has guards Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker , Jared Butler, and Leandro Bolmaro.
- Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune breaks down the return the Jazz got for Gobert, making a case that all 10 pieces headed to Utah can be viewed as assets (as opposed to filler).
Minnesota was definitely smart to keep Jaden. He’s gonna be their starting 3 for a long time & should eventually be 1 of the best 2way wings in the league
With the draft capital the Pacers now have in 2023, and the cap space after Brogdon being traded, Mitchell is the exact type of player the Pacers should pair with Turner and Haliburton. I know it’s very unlikely, but pipe dreams keep the fans tuning in.
Ben Mathurin is the future of Pacers basketball. Do yourself a favor & jump on that bandwagon asap
Oh I hope you are right, and I’m banking on the front office feeling the same way. That’s why we don’t need two draft picks that will likely be in the mid 20s and probably later with Boston. If his play matches his comments in his presser, Indy fans will love him.
Based on the moves they made, and drafting Mathurin so high, I would have to think Hield is being shopped, and they’ll try to flip Theis
It’s always good to have 1st rd picks whether their late 1sts or not. Indy is gonna need to continue to add talent over the yrs to their roster in order to continue rising to contender status. Marathon not a sprint. I didn’t catch his press conference but I have zero doubt that Pacers fans are gonna love him. I truly believe he’s gonna be the best player in franchise history
I would bet a lot of money he doesn’t reach those lofty expectations just based on the odds of draft picks in the NBA and the fact that he would have to pass up Reggie Miller, George McGinnis, Jermaine O’Neal, Mel Tucker, etc.
If he’s anything short of a hall of famer he doesn’t reach those heights.
Don’t forget Paul George. But yea I def see Mathurin as a future HOFer
So you would’ve taken him 1 then? I see him settling in as a useful starter. I know he’s been compared to Jason Richardson a lot, but I see DeRozan.
More like a Lance Stephenson, at least in Indiana.
How can you not root for someone named Benedict? Especially with his tragic backstory.
As I said, I dont buy any of that stuff on Utah. It’s clear what they’re trying to do. Conley and Clarkson are likely for trade, but Mitchell, Bogdanovic are staying. They added a bunch of defenders, as I said earlier, and now they have an extra 5 picks, plus whatever else they had. They’re retooling, although obviously there isnt much left in FA…that being said, as of now. They need shooting on the wing, maybe not even necessarily 3 and D guys, and a floor spacing big/smallball 5 after getting rid of Paschall, and I think they’re fine
The Jazz’s front office viewed Gobert’s super-max contract as a “hindrance,” sources tell Jones. The big man is owed a guaranteed $123MM over the next three seasons and has a $46.7MM player option for 2025/26, so moving that contract creates significant cap flexibility for Utah going forward.
This is so entertaining …….. lols
Who Freakin signed him…. Like a yr ago
They have Danny Angie now, he didn’t sign him to that deal so no ties to him or the contract.
Well it wasn’t Danny ainge
Dennis Lindsay signed him to that deal. He stepped down and Justin Zanik took over. Then owner Ryan Smith brought in Danny Ainge to run the front office and Justin runs the day-to-day stuff.
Then they added Fizdale a few days ago as an assistant GM. Although, the theory is that he was brought in to help mentor Will Hardy as a very young, first-time head coach. All smart moves. Looks like it’s been paying off so far.
AL use proper attribution. Nevermind, you don’t know what that means. QUOTE MARKS.
Utah is changing stuff around. Try to keep up.
With all the picks the Knicks have accumulated, would it be so crazy to expect them to be able to land Mitchell?
Barrett, Reddish, Rose, four 1sts and two pick swaps for Mitchell is as good a deal for the Jazz as any. It sounds like they’ve shown interest in Reddish, Barrett is that good young player that a star dump deal looks for. Rose is for salary matching, and the picks line up as the reasonable amount expected in a deal such as this.
Hard to see Knicks getting excited about getting Mitchell but giving up Barrett… it makes them only a little better and hinders their ability to improve further by giving up the picks
Donovan Mitchell is levels better than RJ Barrett. Look at what Spida did his 1st postseason compared to RJ
Yeah Mitchell is clearly better than RJ on offense. But he’s a poor fit next to Brunson and makes Knicks defense putrid. Those two combined would not be good. Not saying they shouldn’t want him, but rather how much does it actually move the needle?
What’s the point of the Knicks trading for Mitchell if they move their best player – Barrett?
No they have enough picks to land Mitchell without giving up anyone significant
Retool? They got back a bunch of meh. The picks are gold. If I’m Mitchell and I was looking at this vs ONeale and Gobert I’d be in favor of the latter.
Just tell them to get the deal done in NY.
4 2023 1sts, a 2025 1st, Fournier and DRose.
Or 2 2023 firsts and 3 of the Knicks 1sts.
Maybe you do a 3 team. Take on Ben Simmons. Fournier and Rose and a 1st to Nets. Mitchell to Knicks. This would allow the Nets to trade KD for Bam, MPJ, or any other rookie max player.
The Jazz aren’t getting 5 firsts from the Knicks or anyone else. Mitchell may be worth that to some teams, but the collective bargaining agreement says a team can only give up 4 first rounders in a trade.
Pels on Line 1 … and 2 also
None of these trades interest the Jazz right now. They’ve constantly kept saying the same thing, that they’re not trading Donovan. Spida himself has been strangely quiet for awhile now. I think he knew the plan ahead of time. He wants to win more than being surrounded by friends. He can always see them during the off-season or breaks.
Besides, the Jazz are hardly done in their dealings. Look for deals multiple going forward.