Changes were long overdue in Utah, and it seems like the team finally decided they had to start over this offseason. The Jazz, for all their regular season success, had only managed to win one playoff series in the last 4 years, with that coming against the 8th-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in 2021.
They had a chance to add to that tally this year as the Dallas Mavericks were without their superstar Luka Doncic for the first few games of their first-round matchup, but they failed to take advantage and were knocked out in 6 games. That led to Quin Snyder stepping down as head coach, and the team traded away star big man Rudy Gobert last month, which signaled that a rebuild was on the horizon.
The team then indicated that they would be willing to listen to offers for Donovan Mitchell, but the asking price seems to be quite steep. The Jazz had managed to get 4 first-round picks for Gobert, and NBA insider Michael Scotto says sources have indicated that they would want even more than that for Mitchell.
Sources: The Lakers, Knicks and Jazz discussed a three-team trade with Donovan Mitchell landing in New York, Patrick Beverley and another key Jazz player to the Lakers, Russell Westbrook on the move, and draft picks to Utah. More details on @hoopshype. https://t.co/AejGhQPKVK
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) August 5, 2022
“According to multiple NBA executives who’ve spoken to the Jazz about trading for Donovan Mitchell, Utah is seeking as many draft picks as possible and isn’t prioritizing win-now players. Utah is looking to land a bigger haul for Mitchell than the Rudy Gobert trade that netted four first-round picks and 2022 first-rounder Walker Kessler from Minnesota, league sources told HoopsHype. There’s a belief it’ll take five or even six first-round draft picks to land Mitchell.”
Mitchell is under contract till 2025 and has a player option for 2025-26, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that the Jazz want a big haul in return, but 6 first-round picks is an awful lot.
Teams like the Heat and Knicks have been very interested in acquiring him, and the Knicks can potentially offer up to 8 first-round picks if they so desire. That doesn’t mean they would do it, though, which leaves Mitchell’s future very much up in the air. The Brooklyn Nets would be rooting for the Jazz to get this kind of haul at some point, as it would just further drive up the asking price for Kevin Durant, as the Gobert deal had done.
