After trading away 3-time Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert, the Utah Jazz were expected to rebuild their team around Donovan Mitchell. The Jazz have a tremendous haul of assets available to them, mostly acquired through the trade that sent Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Jazz could get many quality pieces around Mitchell, considering the salary flexibility and draft compensation they received. However, it would be a long process that would involve the Jazz trying to compete in a season where they wouldn’t be guaranteed any success with just Mitchell. As a result, Utah is allegedly looking to move on from Mitchell and start from scratch.
After the news broke, Richard Jefferson pointed out massive hypocrisy in basketball discourse that attacks players for requesting trades, but nobody attacks the team for shopping players out when they change the direction of the franchise.
Curious as to where all the “YOU SIGNED A CONTRACT” people are now that the Jazz are open to trading @spidadmitchell .. but if he asked for a trade it would be “we’ve got to do something about these players”
— Richard Jefferson (@Rjeff24) July 13, 2022
Mitchell hasn’t really given the Jazz any real reason to trade him. It’s just that it seems he may have plateaued in terms of what he can achieve in Utah. It might be best for both team and player to part ways. It is not a good look for Utah, considering how they are looking to move on from a young player that scored 50 points for them in multiple playoff games.
The Jazz are doing a full franchise rebuild, so it seems Mitchell will be the one to pay the price for it as well. This trade could land him in a better situation that is suited to contend for a title.
Teams like the Miami Heat are already circling around Spida, so maybe Utah have done the right thing by freeing Donovan. But considering how he has been a total franchise player since he joined the team, it has got to sting that he will be moved on while still on his rookie extension.
