The last we heard, the Utah Jazz were planning to avoid a total reset and build their roster around young stud Donovan Mitchell. In the aftermath of the Rudy Gobert trade, the Jazz have an abundance of picks to build up their future.
But according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Utah may not be done making moves just yet. With Gobert gone, there may be plans to split from Mitchell as well, assuming they get a package of picks and young players back in a deal.
“I guess it’s possible that they don’t trade him now,” Windhorst said. “But I mean I think that they’re — the league thinks he’s getting traded soon.”
It makes sense that the Jazz would want to start over completely instead of rebuilding around Donovan, who apparently has his eyes set elsewhere anyway.
The question now is, which team has the best chance of landing Spida? While multiple teams are bound to show interest, the Miami Heat have been labeled as early frontrunners for the star.
FWIW: I’m hearing some pushback regarding the idea that the Jazz are definitely keeping Donovan Mitchell moving forward. Sense is that the Jazz are keeping their options open here: they could retool around Mitchell, or trade him for a massive haul to jumpstart a rebuild.
In particular, watch Miami. Obviously, Kevin Durant is their No. 1 target, but if that doesn’t work out, they have been and will continue to be aggressive re: Mitchell.
Mitchell is a young and athletic scorer who could be the missing piece for Miami. Just two years removed from a run to the Finals, the Heat could easily become the NBA’s newest dynasty with Mitchell and Butler leading the show.
Either way, no matter where he goes, Donovan Mitchell’s days in Utah are likely numbered as they look to close this chapter of their history. What it means for his career moving forward is still up in the air.
