Utah Jazz: The biggest Donovan Mitchell mock trade so far

I’ve been covering the Utah Jazz on a daily basis for over a month now. During that time, I’ve written almost 50 pieces about the team. I’d say more than half of them are about where Donovan Mitchell will end up.

The Jazz star has been the talk of the town this offseason. Somehow, Kevin Durant requesting a trade has taken up less airtime than the Donovan Mitchell saga. It’s worth noting that Mitchell is yet to formally request a trade, but it looks like the writing is on the wall.

Utah Jazz: Proposed three-team trade craziest one yet

Contenders like the Nets, Lakers, and Heat make the most sense for Mitchell. He is entering his prime and could be the difference between a Conference Finals appearance and a Finals win. Teams who are one big piece away, like the Hornets, Knicks, and Wizards, have also apparently been calling about the star.

The Knicks and Jazz were engaged in trade talks for three days straight that eventually came to an end when the Utah front office wanted picks, picks, and more picks, instead of any established players. With a rebuild on the horizon, I can’t say I blame them.

Apparently, a different deal was almost made.

No wonder the trade proposed didn’t happen. It’s impossible. The Knicks don’t have the cap space to take Mitchell under those terms, and Malik Beasley and Patrick Beverly were a part of the Gobert trade, so they can’t be traded for another two months. It’s hard for three teams to come to a consensus when the trade proposed is illegal. Nice try, though.

Instead, I would propose something like this:

The Lakers get to dump Russell Westbrook and add two solid players to keep competing. Bogdanovic is owed money through this year and Clarkson still has two more years left, but the Lakers will open up $8 million in cap space.

The Knicks get their star in Mitchell and unload Fournier and Derrick Rose, which opens up space for Quickley, Grimes, Mitchell, and Brunson. To make the money even, they need to add Rudy Gay, but they could use the frontcourt help anyway.

The Knicks will have to pay Westbrook this year, probably work out a buyout with Rose, and overpay Fournier for a few years. The return that makes it all worth it? Seven first-round picks. All the high estimates had the deal maxing out at six picks, so the Jazz get even more than their wildest dreams.

Will the Jazz be able to compete for the next two years? Nope, but come 2030 the Jazz should have a small-market dynasty. It’s been done before, and they would be able to build totally through the draft. It’s the right way to do things.