Donovan Mitchell has emerged as a star for the Utah Jazz. This past season, the young shooting guard averaged 25.9 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game on 44.8% shooting.
But after multiple seasons of failure, and some recent changes within the organization, there is a strong sense that Mitchell could be on the verge of leaving the franchise behind.
In a report by Matt Moore, one league source even went so far as to suggest that it’s a matter of when, not if, Mitchell bails Utah for a bigger market.
As far as the idea of a Donovan Mitchell trade coming down the pike, league sources do feel that it’s a matter of “when and not if” with Mitchell eventually asking to go to a “glamour market” like New York or Miami. But in the short term, there’s skepticism it will happen. New Jazz owner Ryan Smith is said to be extremely dedicated to keeping and building around Mitchell. Which, of course, is going to mean moving Rudy Gobert as it’s become apparent that relationship is untenable on-court and off-court.
A star of Donovan’s caliber has something to gain from joining a big market team. In the right situation, he could become the face of the league. The question now is, where could he land?
New York has been tagged as a potential landing spot for a while now, and that’s no surprise. Despite seeing little success over the years, they remain the league’s most valuable franchise. With a guy like Mitchell at the helm, they could finally start to turn their fortunes around and build a dynasty for the future.
In Miami, Mitchell would join a respected and proven culture that will bring out the absolute best in him. He could step into a situation and compete for a title immediately.
Either way, wherever Mitchell lands, it will be interesting to see how it shakes up the league, and where it leaves the Jazz.
