Donovan Mitchell

Heat Notes: Herro, Durant, Highsmith, Adebayo, Oladipo

July 21st, 2022 at 12:54pm CST by Rory Maher

The polarizing way in which rival teams view Tyler Herro is one reason why the Heat haven’t made much headway in trade talks for Kevin Durant or Donovan Mitchell, sources tell ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Insider link), who says Miami is still determined to make something happen and “can never be counted out.” If Herro signs a lucrative rookie scale extension, that might make it more difficult for the Heat to deal him in part because of poison pill provision rules, Lowe notes.

According to Lowe, some league executives and coaches view Herro as a potential All-Star, but some view him more like Jamal Crawford or Lou Williams, an instant-offense bench scorer whose defensive limitations make it difficult to keep him on the court in the playoffs. Lowe observes that the Heat are unable to match rival teams’ trade packages centered on first-round picks, so if they are able to land one of the stars on the trade market, part of the reason will be due to an opposing team being “higher on Herro than consensus.”

The Heat including Bam Adebayo in a deal for Durant would hamstring the Heat’s defense and could have disastrous long-term consequences due to the advancing ages of Kyle Lowry (36), Durant (34 in September), and Jimmy Butler (33 in September), Lowe writes. Sending Ben Simmons to Miami along with Durant would help solve that problem, but Lowe says the Nets are “wary of selling low” on the three-time All-Star, whose value has cratered after missing all of last season for various reasons.

Lowe takes an in-depth look at Herro’s strengths and weaknesses, ultimately suggesting that the 22-year-old might be able to develop into a player like CJ McCollum, a very good offensive player with below-average defense.

Here’s more on the Heat:

Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link) provides an update of where things stand with Miami’s pursuit of Durant. According to Jackson, Brooklyn isn’t interested in Herro as a headliner, so Durant heading to the Heat will likely hinge upon the star insisting on only being dealt to Miami, which obviously hasn’t happened to this point.
Haywood Highsmith is vying for an increased role in 2022/23 and will aim to emulate the departed P.J. Tucker, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “I think me and P.J. have similar styles on defense,” Highsmith said to the Herald. “We like to guard the ball, be physical and play hard and just play to win. On the offensive end, he’s a good three-point shooter in the corner, and I think I’m a good three-point shooter in the corner. I think I can do the stuff that he does on the dribble handoffs and the short roll, get into the pocket and making plays, shooting the floaters. I think just on both ends of the floor, I think we have a lot of similarities.” Highsmith’s salary is only guaranteed for $50K next season, so he’ll have to earn both his minutes and his contract by sticking with the team into January, when non-guaranteed and partially guaranteed deals become fully guaranteed.
Adebayo and Victor Oladipo are unfazed by the perception that the Heat have taken a step backward this summer after losing Tucker to the Sixers and not signing any outside free agents, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “They’re always counting us out,” Adebayo said. “We The Kennel for a reason, the underdog. That’s our chip. You can believe what you want, you can say what you want.” Oladipo re-signed with Miami on a two-year, $18.2MM deal that includes a second year player option.

Trade Rumors: Durant, Mitchell, Irving, Westbrook, Conley

July 20th, 2022 at 10:57am CST by Luke Adams

With the 2022 Las Vegas Summer League in the books and training camps not scheduled to open for more than two months, many NBA executives are preparing to take vacations, which may delay resolution for the league’s top trade candidates, including Nets star Kevin Durant.

“From what I understand, the trade talks involving Kevin Durant have slowed to a trickle,” Brian Windhorst said on Wednesday during an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up (video link via Talkin’ NBA). “You can still get some Nets folks on the phone if you want to make an offer, but they are not aggressively, I am told, making outgoing calls.

“The league is about to go on their first significant vacations in two years. People are scattering to Europe and the national parks, and Kevin Durant is still a Net. I don’t think that’s going to change in the short-term future.”

As Windhorst alludes to, the 2020 and 2021 offseasons were compressed due to changes to the NBA calendar caused by COVID-19. This is the first full, normal offseason for the league since 2019.

Not everyone will be on vacation for the next two months, so it’s certainly possible that trade discussions will pick up in August or early September — or even later this month. Still, the break in the NBA calendar figures to slow down momentum toward any major deals. That applies to the Jazz‘s Donovan Mitchell talks as well, Windhorst said.

“The Donovan Mitchell situation is really headed towards a stalemate,” Windhorst said on Get Up (video link via Talkin’ NBA). “The sticker shock is out there for the price that the Jazz are asking, and the Jazz are like, ‘Look, we are in no rush. We’re going to sit back and wait for you to meet it.’ The teams are like, ‘We’re not going to increase our (offers).’ And Donovan Mitchell is not pushing it, so I hope everybody enjoys their summer.”

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:

Windhorst suggested during Wednesday’s episode of Get Up (video link) that he doesn’t view a Kyrie Irving/Russell Westbrook trade between the Nets and Lakers as especially likely at this point: “It’s been discussed weeks ago and hasn’t advanced.”
Windhorst also said the motivation for Durant’s trade request out of Brooklyn remains somewhat vague, which may be one reason why no real progress has been made toward a resolution. “He spoke to the owner, Joe Tsai, and gave a reason (why he wanted to be traded), but I’m not sure the Nets are 100% on the understanding of it,” Windhorst said. “I think the next step in this – barring a team’s change of heart to meet the Nets’ price, which I don’t see at this point on the calendar – I think we’re going to have to wait to hear from Kevin Durant about how open he is to running it back with the Nets. Here we go, as everybody breaks for summer, sitting and waiting for that to happen.”
Appearing on a Spotify Live session with Marc Stein, Tony Jones of The Athletic confirmed that the Jazz have had trade discussions with teams this offseason about point guard Mike Conley, but admitted that he’s not sure there’s much of a market out there for Conley at this point (hat tip to HoopsHype). Conley has a $22.68MM cap hit in 2022/23, with a partial guarantee ($14.32MM) on his $24.36MM salary for ’23/24.

Fischer’s Latest: Durant, Warriors, Heat, Barrett, Herro, Suns

July 19th, 2022 at 7:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Although some reports have mentioned the Warriors as a possible suitor for Nets star Kevin Durant, Golden State doesn’t appear to have made “serious overtures” for the two-time Finals MVP, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. While Fischer hints that the two teams have at least talked, he says little traction has been generated.

The Heat, meanwhile, continue to focus on acquiring either Durant or Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell before moving on to other business. Multiple sources with knowledge of the situation tell Fischer that Miami is prioritizing Durant over Mitchell.

Here’s more from Fischer:

Knicks personnel have projected confidence that they’ll be able to acquire Mitchell without including RJ Barrett in their offer, according to Fischer, who hears from sources that the Jazz may not be eager to give Barrett a lucrative long-term extension anyway.
While both Barrett and Tyler Herro are considered candidates for maximum-salary rookie scale extensions, Fischer says NBA executives believe the Heat guard is a better bet than the Knicks forward to sign a new deal this offseason (rather than in 2023 free agency). “They always seem to pay their guys,” one assistant GM said of the Heat.
According to Fischer, league personnel continue to classify Suns forwards Jae Crowder and Dario Saric as potential trade candidates. Both players are on expiring contracts for a Phoenix club whose team salary is now well above the tax line.

Jazz In No Rush To Move Mitchell, Expected To Reengage With Knicks

July 18th, 2022 at 12:10pm CST by Luke Adams

After engaging in trade talks with the Knicks about Donovan Mitchell last week, the Jazz aren’t in any rush to make a deal before further gauging his value around the NBA, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on Monday during an appearance on Get Up (video link).

“I think for the Jazz, they go out now around the league and see what else is out there for Donovan Mitchell, get a sense of what the market is, what teams are willing to do,” Wojnarowski said. “And I do think the Knicks and the Jazz will reengage at some point. Maybe it’s this week, maybe it’s next week, maybe it’s in two or three weeks. But the Jazz are not going to necessarily move quickly.”

As Wojnarowski observes, Utah’s Rudy Gobert trade discussions played out over multiple weeks – or even months – before the Jazz received an offer they couldn’t refuse from Minnesota. Although the Knicks are motivated to land Mitchell, according to Woj, they also don’t want to “just give up everything” to land him.

“Utah and New York talked last week, and I think the Jazz got a sense of what New York might be willing to do,” Wojnarowski said. “It’s not just one particular deal — I think there’s options. It’s almost like a sliding scale. The more players you put in a deal, the less draft picks you want to give up. The more draft assets you put in a deal, you want to put less players in. If you’re the Jazz, ‘I want the players and I want the picks,’ so that’s where it starts.”

Here’s more on Mitchell:

Wojnarowski said during his Get Up appearance that the Jazz are significantly more interested in the Knicks’ own first-round picks than the ones New York can offer from other teams. “People talk about (the Knicks being able to trade) seven or eight (first-round) picks. A lot of those picks are conditional, protected picks that are coming from places like Detroit and Washington,” Wojnarowski said. “The Jazz certainly don’t value those the way they do New York’s unprotected picks.”
During early discussions between the Jazz and Knicks, Utah asked about a package that would’ve included RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson, other players, and at least three first-round picks, reports Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Robinson has since come off the table after officially re-signing with New York, but it’s a moot point — the Knicks felt Utah’s asking price was too high and wouldn’t have met it anyway, Begley writes, adding that he believes the Knicks have the draft capital necessary to get a Mitchell deal done without including Barrett.
Some members of the Knicks’ organization still felt the Jazz’s asking price was too high during the more recent talks between two teams, Begley writes. Those Knicks executives felt as if they had made competitive offers and wanted to leave it at that, rather than continuing to sweeten the pot for Utah.

Latest On Donovan Mitchell

July 17th, 2022 at 10:58am CST by Arthur Hill

When the Suns matched the Pacers’ offer sheet for Deandre Ayton on Thursday, the move increased the chances that Donovan Mitchell will wind up with the Knicks, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (hat tip to Adam Zagoria in a piece for NJ.com).

Windhorst explained that there were scenarios in place where Mitchell could have gone to the Nets and Kevin Durant could have ended up in Phoenix in a three- or four-team trade. Now that Ayton is ineligible to be moved until January 15, those potential deals are off the table.

“So I think this moves the Knicks even further into the favorite spot for Donovan Mitchell,” Windhorst said. “It’s really going to come down to negotiation. The Knicks are very interested, they are talking to the Jazz, but the Jazz have an extremely high bar that they’re setting early in these talks and it’s really just a question of how much can they get the Knicks to pay.”

A report on Friday set that price at three young players and six first-round picks. New York countered that offer and no progress in trade talks has been reported since then.

There’s more news on a potential Mitchell deal:

Tim MacMahon of ESPN believes Mitchell will likely end up in New York, but negotiations might take some time, Zagoria relays in the same story. MacMahon points out that Utah is focused on getting draft assets to help with rebuilding, and the Knicks own 11 first-rounders in the next seven years. He adds that team president Leon Rose has to be careful not to bid against himself as the teams work out the specifics of a trade.
Mitchell heard plenty of appeals from Knicks fans during an appearance Saturday at a Brooklyn Cyclones baseball game, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Mitchell threw out the first pitch and took batting practice with the minor league team, but refused to speculate on trade talks. “We’re not talking basketball,” he told reporters. “Ain’t nobody talking basketball.”
In a separate story, Braziller talks to an NBA scout who believes the price for Mitchell is too high considering that he’s never led the Jazz past the second round of the playoffs. Another league source agrees, questioning whether Mitchell is too similar to free agent addition Jalen Brunson to form an effective backcourt.
Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News examines options for getting Mitchell to New York, including a package based on draft picks, another one built around RJ Barrett, and potential multi-team deals.

Latest On Donovan Mitchell

July 16th, 2022 at 9:30am CST by Dana Gauruder

A potential Donovan Mitchell trade could be an “extended process” rather than an imminent event, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on NBA Today (video link).

Utah is “talking throughout the league,” but there are not everyday negotiations going on involving the All-Star guard, according to Wojnarowski, who says the Jazz have “time on their side” due to Mitchell being signed through the 2025/26 season (including a player option in the final year).

Utah exec Danny Ainge has a reputation of waiting teams out to get the best possible trade package. “I think it’s going to be the same thing with Donovan Mitchell,” Wojnarowski said, though he added that the Knicks are a “motivated suitor.”

We have more on the Mitchell trade front:

According to Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune, the notion that the Jazz were not open to offers for Mitchell prior to this week is a false narrative. They had discussed Mitchell trades before Rudy Gobert was dealt to the Timberwolves.
ESPN’s Insiders look at five potential Mitchell deals involving the Knicks, Heat, Raptors, Thunder and a four-way swap. Responding to ESPN’s proposed trades, Larsen tweets that the proposed packages from New York, Miami, Toronto, and Oklahoma City would all fall short of what the Jazz are seeking. ESPN’s hypothetical four-team deal involving Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons, and Deandre Ayton might’ve appealed most to Utah, according to Larsen, but it’s no longer an option now that Ayton is back under contract with Phoenix.
With the Knicks apparently ready to give up a boatload of assets for Mitchell, Howie Kussoy of the New York Post looks at past deals for star players that failed to turn the fortunes of the franchise.
Dealing Mitchell would be the best thing for the Jazz, Sarah Todd of the Deseret News opines. After dealing Gobert, the Jazz would have to give up numerous assets in trades just to remain in the playoff picture if they retain Mitchell.
A group of ESPN analysts explored some potential trade packages for Mitchell on NBA Today (video link).

Stein’s Latest: Mitchell, Knicks, Sixers, Lakers, Beverley

July 15th, 2022 at 7:46pm CST by Rory Maher

New York’s impending pursuit of Jalen Brunson became obvious once a Knicks contingent led by Julius Randle, William Wesley and Allan Houston was spotted at Game 1 of the first-round series between the Mavericks and Jazz. However, as Marc Stein writes in his lastest article for Substack, it’s clear now that New York had designs on pursuing Donovan Mitchell as well as Brunson.

Recent reports from Tony Jones of The Athletic and Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune indicate that the Jazz are looking for six first-round picks and young players in exchange for Mitchell, but the Knicks balked at that asking price. According to Stein, even if the Knicks have more draft picks to offer at the moment, they should be “careful not to underestimate” the Heat and Nets as potential Mitchell suitors.

Under president Leon Rose, the Knicks have unsuccessfully pursued other star players, which is why it’s so important to the incumbent regime to land a player of Mitchell’s stature, Stein says.

Here’s more from Stein:

Mitchell has multiple ties to the Knicks, Stein adds. Mitchell is “very close” with Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant, who was an assistant with the Jazz for several seasons and recently had multiple interviews for Utah’s head coaching job. He’s also friends with Brunson due to their shared connection with Eric Paschall, who is Mitchell’s closest friend in the NBA and was college teammates with Brunson at Villanova, per Stein.
Like the Knicks’ pursuit of Brunson, the Sixers are likely to face a tampering investigation due to the signing of P.J. Tucker, according to Stein, who reported four days before free agency opened that several rival teams were convinced that Tucker would land with Philadelphia. Stein and others had linked Tucker to the Sixers even before the draft, a week before free agency opened, and Stein notes that Tucker’s agent informed Shams Charania of The Athletic that he was heading to Philly a minute after free agency opened.
It has been rumored that the Lakers might be interested in Jazz guard Patrick Beverley, but a source tells Stein that L.A. has no plans to deal Talen Horton-Tucker for the veteran. The Lakers have been prioritizing speed and youth in the offseason, so swapping a 21-year-old for a 34-year-old would detract from that, Stein notes. Horton-Tucker had been floated as a possibility because the Lakers don’t have any other mid-size contracts for salary-matching purposes — he’ll make $10.26MM in 2022/23, while Beverley will earn $13MM.

Heat Notes: Adebayo, Haslem, Mitchell, O. Robinson

July 15th, 2022 at 1:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heat center Bam Adebayo plans to be more aggressive in looking for shots next season, according to Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Responding to a recent call from team president Pat Riley to take a greater role in the offense, Adebayo appeared on a radio broadcast during a Summer League game and said he’s ready for that challenge.

“They call me ‘No Ceiling’ for a reason,” Adebayo said. “Just being a more efficient scorer. I feel like my shot attempts are going to go up. The guys want the ball in my hands. They want me to score more. My job is really easy this summer.”

Adebayo averaged career highs with 19.1 points and 13 shots per game last season while finishing fourth in the Defensive Player of the Year voting, but Riley believes there’s another level he can reach. The long-time executive wants him to become more consistent in creating his own shots, and Chiang and Jackson note that Adebayo’s shot totals fluctuated wildly during the Eastern Conference Finals.

Adebayo also discussed the Heat’s offseason moves, saying that keeping continuity on the roster will provide the best chance to chase another title.

“It’s mandatory to get back to where we were and have a different result,” Adebayo said. “It haunts you. Because you get that close to something, one shot away and you look at the game, there were so many moments where we could have taken advantage of the game.”

There’s more on the Heat:

Udonis Haslem lashed out at critics who say he doesn’t deserve a roster spot, Chiang and Jackson add in the same story. Haslem, 41, hasn’t played much during the past six seasons, but he claims his work with young players makes it worthwhile to keep him on the team. “People don’t know we have the most undrafted people in the NBA in our team,” Haslem said on Duncan Robinson‘s podcast. “There is something going on here people, but you dumb [expletives] can’t understand. You are so focused on my age and why I’m here. There’s a reason why I’m [expletive] here. Look at Caleb Martin. Caleb Martin just got paid.”
Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune confirms that Miami made an offer for Donovan Mitchell that the Jazz considered “insufficient.” The Heat don’t have the draft assets to compete with the Knicks, Larsen notes, with only their 2023, 2027 and 2029 first-rounders available, plus pick swaps in other years. The Jazz and Heat agreed that a third team would likely be needed to get a deal done, according to Larsen.
Orlando Robinson was disappointed to be passed over on draft night, but he’s grateful for the opportunity he’s getting with Miami on an Exhibit 10 contract, Chiang writes in a separate story.

Jazz Reportedly Asking Knicks For Three Players, Six First-Rounders In Mitchell Talks

July 15th, 2022 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks are pursuing a trade for Donovan Mitchell, but they’re balking at Utah’s current asking price, Tony Jones of The Athletic said in an interview with ESPN 700 in Salt Lake City (hat tip to Real GM).

According to Jones, the Jazz want Quentin Grimes, Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin in the deal, along with six future first-round picks. Jones said New York “backed away” from that proposal.

The Knicks have been stockpiling assets in hopes of landing a major star and currently own 11 first-round selections over the next seven years. They can part with up to eight of those first-rounders in a trade, notes Steve Popper of Newsday, but he wonders how many the organization would be willing to surrender, especially if it’s also giving up young talent.

Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune confirms that the Jazz are seeking a large return of draft assets from New York, along with players on rookie contracts, and he identifies Grimes as “perhaps the lead target” among players who could be included in the deal. Larsen adds that the Knicks don’t want to give away that much of their future, but they made a “significant” counter to Utah’s offer.

Multiple sources tell Larsen that RJ Barrett, the third pick in the 2019 draft, wasn’t part of the trade talks. Barrett is eligible for an extension to his rookie contract this offseason, and Utah isn’t eager to take on that expense.

The Jazz would have to take back at least one sizeable contract from New York to match Mitchell’s $30.35MM salary for next season. That probably won’t be Julius Randle ($23.76MM in 2022/23), according to one of Larsen’s sources, who says that Evan Fournier ($18MM) or Derrick Rose ($14.52MM) is more likely to be included.

Jazz, Knicks Discussing Donovan Mitchell Trade

July 13th, 2022 at 10:46pm CST by Rory Maher

The Jazz and Knicks are discussing a deal that would send Donovan Mitchell to New York, sources tell Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic.

According to The Athletic’s duo, the Jazz are listening to offers from multiple teams, but the Knicks have become the “focused destination.” Both teams have discussed the framework of a potential deal in the past 24 hours, Charania and Jones report.

New York possesses several future first-round picks and young players to package for the three-time All-Star, including second-year guard Quentin Grimes, whom the Jazz are believed to be interested in, sources tell The Athletic. Grimes was the No. 25 pick of the 2021 draft, shot 38.1% from three-point range as a rookie while playing solid defense, and has had a strong Summer League performance in Las Vegas over the past week.

Utah is focused on a return centered around draft picks and players on rookie scale contracts, per Charania and Jones. Ian Begley of SNY.tv reported earlier today that the Jazz were keying in on a draft pick-centric package.

After Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report said the Jazz are open to moving any of the players acquired from the Timberwolves, Charania and Jones go a step further, saying that there are no untouchable players on Utah’s roster, and all of the team’s veterans have been made available. Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley and Jordan Clarkson have all drawn interest in trade talks, sources tell The Athletic.

The Jazz apparently view draft picks as the best way to rebuild the roster, with CEO Danny Ainge recently discussing the subject of the team’s limitations following the Rudy Gobert trade.

“You’re over the tax, no draft picks, and our team loses in the first round,” Ainge said on Saturday. “It wasn’t fun for us. We want it to be fun for our fans and our players, but we just haven’t had much flexibility to do anything over the last little while.”

The Knicks are motivated to present a “significant package” for Mitchell, according to Charania and Jones, but as Begley wrote, they’re wary of giving up too much because they want to have enough depth to be a contender in the East.

The Athletic’s duo says there’s “incredible interest” on the Knicks’ side to bring the 25-year-old home to New York, where Mitchell spends a lot of time in the offseason. Still, the Jazz have a high asking price for the talented guard, so it remains to be seen what a potential deal might ultimately look like.

Load More Posts