Utah Jazz: Odds for Donovan Mitchell’s next team revealed
By Nathan Smith
The Utah Jazz have been in the headlines all off-season, as they’ve begun taking calls on All-Star Donovan Mitchell, just weeks after trading fellow All-Star, and three time Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert. The saga has been dragging on for weeks now, and even after false rumours that Spida has been traded, as of right now, he remains a member of the Utah Jazz.
Reports are that Danny Ainge is playing some serious hardball, and not budging from his intended dream haul, and at this point, it looks like there’s no trade on the horizon. Still, that hasn’t stopped the interest, and if the oddsmakers at Mybookie.ag have anything to say about it, there’s still a clear favourite to acquire No. 45. One interesting point to note before we analyze the teams named here, is that the odds for Mitchell to return to Utah again for the 2022/23 campaign are at 56%, meaning that according to the odds, Donovan will once again don the Jazz Note in 2022.
Unsurprisingly however, the New York Knicks remain the heavy favourites, with a predicted 36% chance to land the home-town kid, but it’s the team right behind them that may be the most interesting and noteworthy. It’s the other team in New York, the Brooklyn Nets who find themselves a good chance of landing the All-Star guard (16.67%), but would likely require a third team to get involved to pull this deal off.
Coming in third is a team that has been trying to land an All-Star all summer long, the Toronto Raptors (11.1%). Unwilling to deal reigning Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes, it’s unclear just how in play the squad up North really are, but as of right now, there may be inside information that we aren’t hearing that could have them firmly in the race. Lastly, but not to be discounted are the Washington Wizards (11.1%), who are looking to pair another scorer with Kristaps Porzingis and All-NBA caliber player Bradley Beal. They certainly don’t have the draft capital or moveable talent that the other teams have, but if they link with another team and mortgage their future, they are certainly a dark-horse in the race for No. 45.
The Donovan Mitchell trade sweepstakes roll on, and whether he is moved in this off-season or at the 2022/23 trade deadline, this one is going to remain in the headlines until it’s done.