Three Reasons The Utah Jazz Lost The Donovan Mitchell Trade

3. Trading Mitchell to a team he didn’t request could hurt the future Jazz

This one may not hurt the Jazz in the immediate future, as they’ve now got some young talent, along with an incredible haul of draft picks, but when most stars give a list of teams they’d like to be traded too, other players watch to see how the team handles that. If Utah can build themselves into a franchise destination, especially if Victor Wenbanyama can be involved, this may not matter as much, but if one day down the line, a free agent has to choose between Utah and another franchise, this may be something that creeps into their mind.

Sure, Cleveland ended up offering the best package, and there are ways around this being a problem (money, winning etc), but for now, not sending Mitchell to one of his preferred destinations could irk future free agents. This isn’t something Utah need to focus on now, as their draft picks and young talent developing will be the most key, and it’s something they will certainly be able to overcome with good management over the next few years, but it’s something to keep an eye on going forward.