Utah Jazz: Which team has the best chance of landing Donovan Mitchell?
By Nathan Smith
6. Could the Utah Jazz deal with the Washington Wizards?
The Washington Wizards recently locked up Bradley Beal to a long-term extension, so it makes sense that they would want to shift their focus to competing in the very near future. While that’s a good idea, and the Wizards may have a few draft picks, they just don’t have a combination of young players they’re willing to deal and a haul of draft picks similar to the one that Utah got for Rudy Gobert. That haul may not be the norm in the NBA, and the Jazz might not even get that haul for Donovan Mitchell, but after they did it once in the off-season, there’s no doubting that Danny Ainge wants to do it again.
With Beal, Kristaps Porzingis, Kyle Kuzma and some decent young pieces, the Wizards can no doubt chase a play-in spot in 2022, but it seems that getting Mitchell and taking the next step in the Eastern Conference might not be two things the team can do in one off-season. If the Wizards are able to get a second and potentially third team involved, then they may be able to pair Beal and Mitchell together, which would give this team one of the best scoring duos in the game, but it would need to be part of a longer build, and wouldn’t make them immediate contenders in 2022/23.
Ultimately, the Wizards have very little chance of landing Donovan Mitchell, but there’s still a chance that if the Knicks negotiations drag out long enough, the Wizards may be able to swoop.