The Miami Heat have been mentioned as a very interested party in pursuit of Donovan Mitchell, with Utah actively looking to deal the star for the right price. The New York Knicks remain the team with the highest number of assets to swing a trade for the All-Star guard, but he has famously had an interest in going to Miami in the past.
Talks around a potential Mitchell trade have slowed down quite a bit in recent weeks, and the Jazz’s demands for any potential trade have proved to almost be absurdly high. Having said that, teams are still interested in acquiring Mitchell and a fair few trade packages have been floated that could convince the Jazz to pull the trigger.
The Athletic’s Fred Katz was suggesting trade scenarios for the Jazz guard recently, and he was trying to come up with the best ‘all-in’ packages teams could offer. And he outlined the best offer the Heat can make without giving up Bam Adebayo.
Jazz receive: Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro, Nikola Jovic, 2023 first-round pick (unprotected), 2027 first-round swap (unprotected), 2028 first-round pick (unprotected), 2029 first-round swap (unprotected).
Heat receive: Donovan Mitchell.
Katz went on to explain how the trade would work but did admit that there were some issues to be considered if this trade is made.
“Robinson would be in the trade only for salary-matching purposes. Yes, the point of this exercise is to present the greatest all-in package a team can put out there, but we have to be somewhat realistic. Miami is not including Jimmy Butler or Bam Adebayo, and I don’t see the Jazz wanting Kyle Lowry’s $58 million remaining over the next couple of seasons.
“Ultimately, it will come down to the picks, and as of now, Miami can’t offer many of those. They could add a 2024 first-round swap to this package, but that would be extremely unlikely to matter.”
The truth of the matter is that the Knicks can blow any competition for Mitchell out of the water, and it’s simply a question of whether they wish to do so. If they pull out of the race for Mitchell, then the Heat’s offer could be quite a tempting one, and perhaps they could form a Big 3 of Butler, Adebayo, and Mitchell to give themselves a chance at another title.
