The Utah Jazz finally made a move to split up their All-Star duo of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, but with so many holes on this current roster, many fans are now wondering if the opportunity for a complete rebuild will be too much to pass up for Danny Ainge.
All reports point to the fact that Mitchell will be the face of the Jazz franchise going forward, and with plenty of new draft capital, the team could potentially make a move for another All-Star caliber player to join Spida in Salt Lake City. As of now, Utah have seemingly not been interested in dealing Mitchell, but if the right deal comes along, it’s hard to imagine that Ainge and the rest of this front office don’t at least listen with open ears.
At this point in time, the most likely scenario is that No. 45 yet again pulls on the Jazz Note in 2022/23, but on the off chance that Utah can load up on future picks and young players, here are three teams that Utah Jazz fans should keep an exceedingly close eye on.
3. The surprise team for the Utah Jazz may be the Philadelphia 76ers
There are a few teams that could fit into the surprise category, as the Nets, Raptors, Kings and others could all believe a Donovan Mitchell trade helps them take the next step, but after James Harden took a $15 million pay cut to help this team, acquiring a big name third star may be what the team looks to do with it. The centrepiece of this trade would be acquiring young talent like Tyrese Maxey and Matisse Thybulle, and while it’s not very likely, due to the 76ers lack of draft capital, it all depends what Danny Ainge values as this Jazz franchise looks to move in a new direction.
With James Harden at point guard and Donovan Mitchell at the two, the ‘6ers would certainly have a lot of offensive firepower, combined with Joel Embiid, and while the defensive end would certainly struggle, it’s a team worth watching in the coming weeks, perhaps even up to the 2022/23 trade deadline. The current prediction is that Mitchell isn’t moved at all, but given how highly Maxey has been rated, along with Philly’s need for a third star, it’s worth it not to count this team out, especially if they and Utah got a third team involved to make this a blockbuster trade.