Possible Landing Spots For Donovan Mitchell

Jul 15

After trading away star center Rudy Gobert, the Utah Jazz are clearly not contenders for an NBA championship anymore. Now that they have established that, the main question remains: What to do with Donovan Mitchell? The consensus around the league is that the Jazz will keep Mitchell and build around him with the players and picks they acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Rudy Gobert trade. However, even though they feel this way, they have said they are willing to hear out offers from other teams. Here are the possible teams that could make a deal for Mitchell and the approximate trade packages they would need to put together.

1) New York Knicks

Potential Trade Package: Evan Fournier, Quinten Grimes, Cam Reddish, Immanuel Quickley, and 2-3 first-round picks

The Knicks are clearly in need of star talent to help them compete for a championship and fill the seats at Madison Square Garden, and Mitchell is the guy they are looking for. He would also pair very well with star forward Julius Randle and rim-protecting center Mitchell Robinson. In addition, this team would be young and have a lot of potential for the future. With a big market like New York, they can attract free agents and build a team to compete in just two or three seasons. If the Jazz are willing to do this, giving up valuable pieces in Fournier and Quickly would be more than worth it.

2) Philadelphia 76ers

Potential Trade Package: Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, Furkan Korkmaz, Isaiah Joe, and 3-4 first-round picks.

The Sixers could use another superstar to pair with Joel Embiid and James Harden, and getting Mitchell at a price that isn’t too steep is something to look into. He would bring more shooting and star-level talent to the team and bring them over the hump and towards true championship contenders. They would obviously lose depth at the power forward position losing Harris, but the new addition in PJ Tucker will help fill that role nicely. Having a starting lineup consisting of Harden, Tyrese Maxey, Mitchell, PJ Tucker, and Embiid would be deadly. The key is convincing the Jazz to make the trade without including Maxey, which will be incredibly difficult.

3) Los Angeles Lakers

Potential Trade Package: Russell Westbrook, Talen Horton-Tucker, Wenyen Gabriel, Kendrick Nunn, and 3-4 first-round picks

The Lakers would need to have a trade centered around Westbrook. This trade will be very hard to pull off and would need teams like New York to pull out of the running. They cannot match an offer like the Knicks. Although it may not be as good as New York, This offer gives the Jazz some young talent they have been looking for and the Lakers a star talent to pair with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. As I said before, it won’t be easy to convince the Jazz, but if they can get it done, I think it would give both sides some of what they are looking for.

4) Brooklyn Nets

Potential Trade Package: Kyrie Irving, Seth Curry, Nic Claxton, Cam Thomas, and 3-4 first-round picks

The Nets are stuck. They are being forced to trade both Irving and Durant, as they both seem unhappy in their current situations. Durant wants out, and Kyrie won’t stay without KD. Losing them will hurt but getting Mitchell back in return is a good place to start the rebuild. The Jazz also get some young guys in Claxton and Thomas that can be used to build around with the picks they acquire here and from the Gobert trade.

5) Miami Heat

Potential Trade Package: Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, and Omer Yurtseven

Miami proved last year that they are one star alongside Jimmy Butler away from being NBA Finals bound. They took Boston to seven games without Mitchell, so acquiring him can only help their chances of getting back there and over that hump. I was thinking about putting Lowry here instead of Herro, but the Jazz need young talent and probably will not do the deal without Herro in return. Robinson and Yurtseven are both very young players with the potential to be great and could really flourish in a new system where they can see the floor more, so I think a Mitchell to Miami move is very possible. I also believe it is one of the best opportunities for the team receiving Mitchell and for the Jazz to get a good return when losing such a young and talented star.

6) Toronto Raptors

Potential Trade Package: Fred VanVleet, Chris Boucher, Khem Birch, Malachi Flynn, and 3-4 first-round picks

Toronto is one of my dark horses in the race for Mitchell, and I think they have a better offer than most people think. Fred Vanvleet has shown that he can help lead a talented team, but he isn’t getting any younger and seems only to be declining talent-wise from here on out. I think that if Toronto wants to stay competitive with this young core of Siakam and Barnes, bringing in Mitchell as the star guard is a significant upgrade. The Jazz get the young talent they are looking for in Boucher and Flynn and an experienced center in Khem Birch. I think everyone wins here, and even if the Raptors never make an offer, I will still believe they could have been in the running if they wanted to.

7) Dallas Mavericks

Potential Trade Package: Davis Bertans, Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, Josh Green, and 4-5 first-round picks

The other dark horse is the Dallas Mavericks. I believe pairing Mitchell alongside Luka would become a dynamic duo for years to come and worth the haul they would have to give up to get Mitchell. Losing guys like Finney-Smith and Dinwiddie will for sure hurt the depth of this team, but Mitchell is a very talented young player who could play alongside Doncic for a long time, forming the next dynasty in Dallas. Unfortunately, the Jazz will get the return of young players they are looking for in this deal, so very similar to the Lakers deal, it will be tough to convince Utah to make this decision. But in the off chance they do, Dallas would be a very scary team to play against, and Utah would get some nice depth pieces for the future along with some draft picks.