The Hive Sports

by Daniel Olsen

While the Jazz initially shut down trade talks involving star guard Donovan Mitchell, those discussions have been re-opened and several teams have entered the conversation. The Knicks and Heat have emerged as the two early contenders. While Mitchell remains a member of the Utah Jazz for now, this is a story that will continue to develop quickly. It’s time to look at the best trade scenarios for the Jazz involving Donovan Mitchell.

1. Picks until the end of time

This type of trade would be eerily similar to the one the Jazz made with the Minnesota Timberwolves earlier this month. The Jazz got a total of five future draft picks and five players. That would only be the starting price that the Jazz would command for a deal involving Mitchell.

There is no rush to make a trade just yet. The Jazz reportedly requested six draft picks from the Knicks and were turned down by that offer. The Jazz are aware that the Knicks have the most draft capital of anyone looking to acquire a player of Mitchell’s caliber. However, the Knicks want to be careful that they don’t get entirely fleeced. At the same time, they can’t wait too long and see what the market does because then Mitchell could get snagged by another team.

Trade Proposal:

The Knicks get desperate and offer seven picks along with Cam Reddish, Evan Fournier and RJ Barrett. The Knicks were reluctant to give up Barrett and an extra pick, but they had to in order to separate themselves from what the Miami Heat were offering. Between this and the Gobert trade, it sets the Jazz up with a plethora of draft assets that they can use to flip for proven players or draft young talent.

2. Trade for young promising stars

This scenario might not be as likely as the Jazz seem to be trending towards more of a rebuilding team – especially if they trade Donovan Mitchell. However, a team like the Miami Heat could involve a third team to get a talented player in Utah.

This is where the Pelicans come in. They have a plethora of young talent and could be more willing to give up a player in exchange for another one which they believe in. The Heat are in win-now mode so they would want to come out as the winners of this deal.

Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo are probably not part of the discussion as the Heat would want to form another Big 3 with Mitchell as the third piece to the puzzle. This is why a third team would be necessary. Perhaps there is an older guard the Heat would be willing to offload to be the savvy veteran that the young Pelicans might be looking for.

Trade Proposal:

The Heat trade Lowry to the Pelicans. Then, the Pelicans trade Brandon Ingram to the Jazz. The Jazz finally trade Mitchell to the Heat. The Heat would take this in a heartbeat, but the Pelicans only take Lowry if they believe his championship pedigree can help a young team get over the hump. The health of Zion Williamson is also an important factor. The Pelicans would be losing a vital scorer in Ingram. The Jazz could fill the void at the power forward position with a star like Ingram. This trade isn’t nearly as likely, but it would be a fun one if three teams wanted to swap out their stars depending on their specific needs. It would immediately make the Heat a favorite to come out of the East while setting up the Jazz and Pelicans for the future.

3. Play the waiting game

The Jazz aren’t obligated to trade Mitchell right now. They can simply wait and see how much teams are willing to offer them. While they want to rebuild, Mitchell could make them a fringe playoff team and grow with their young players acquired in the Gobert trade. The re-tool around Mitchell idea isn’t bad if Mitchell is motivated to be here. He isn’t a free agent for another three years, so hopefully his max extension he recently signed could help the Jazz for at least another year while other teams get more desperate. Mitchell could take the team to new heights, or he could be gone by the trade deadline. The Jazz are hosting the 2023 All-Star game in Salt Lake City, so they might want to at least have one player participating.