The Utah Jazz had barely cooled off from acquiring four first round draft picks and a pick swap for Rudy Gobert before the new rumours came out that the team was open to listening to offers on Donovan Mitchell, and now, it looks like a trade over the coming months is almost inevitable. We saw the likes of ESPN’s Brian Windhorst predict that a trade was coming within the next few weeks, likely to the New York Knicks, but now more information is coming out, and it seems that Danny Ainge’s desired return for the young guard are more than any one team can likely provide.
According to NBA writer Marc Stein, Danny Ainge has been playing hard-ball in any trade conversations (rightfully so), and has asked for six, potentially seven first round draft picks in return for the young All-Star. Given Donovan’s lack of official comment or trade request, the Jazz have plenty of time to move him, and if the offer isn’t right, Ainge is likely going to stick to his guns and wait for the right offer. But that raises the question, is there any team that can provide what he is asking for?
On their own, the answer is simple: no. Even though the New York Knicks have control of up to eight tradable picks in the near future, it seems that even they aren’t willing to part with all that, plus young players to bring Spida home to New York City. If the Jazz want to get creative though, introducing a third team, like the Los Angeles Lakers or Miami Heat could be a way to get this done, but at this point, all we’ve heard is that the Knicks and Jazz have been in conversation, but Ainge is still seeking a better deal.
Given Mitchell’s contract status, the Jazz don’t have to move him anytime soon, but if they want to move into a full rebuild instead of riding the fence, moving him now, while his value is at a high would be the ideal scenario for everyone involved in Utah.
Simply put, the Utah Jazz aren’t going to be fleeced by anyone in acquiring the services of Donovan Mitchell, but if this front office wants to somehow top the incredible haul they received with the Rudy Gobert deal, they’ll need to do business with multiple trade partners.
So what are your thoughts? Should the Jazz move Mitchell now and accept five first round picks from the Knicks? Would it be better to involve a third team to offload more money and get more picks in return? Should Utah hold onto Mitchell for longer? As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below!