It’s the end of August and a New York Knicks-Utah Jazz trade centered around three-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell hasn’t happened. A Donovan Mitchell trade hasn’t happened, period. The Jazz traded Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves almost exactly two months ago and since then, there’s been report after report in regards to Mitchell’s future.
The 25-year-old has three guaranteed years left on his contract and Utah reportedly is fine with keeping him (presumably until the offer that Danny Ainge wants comes along), but how would that impact Mitchell?
His name has been floating around in trade rumors all summer and if he ends up playing for the Jazz in 2022-23, his future is going to continue to be the center of attention. As Tony Jones of The Athletic wrote (subscription required), “his mere presence will be a dominant topic.” That’s not an optimal situation for a first-year head coach.
Not only are the Jazz looking to trade Mitchell so that they can fully enter their rebuilding period, but the guard reportedly has a list of preferred trade destinations (Knicks, Heat, Nets). If Mitchell isn’t traded to New York, he’ll likely end up in Miami, but a trade to Brooklyn is complicated due to Ben Simmons.
The belief is that the guard will be traded before the start of training camp, but if that doesn’t happen, Utah shouldn’t feel too confident about entering the start of the season with Mitchell.
The Jazz would benefit from ending the Donovan Mitchell trade saga sooner rather than later
Donovan Mitchell hasn’t publicly said anything about his future, and why would he? But for the Jazz to assume that he’d be willing to stay in Utah for the time being is bold. Tony Jones said it best.
"It will require Mitchell, who is currently working out in Miami and preparing for the season, to buy into what the Jazz are doing. It will require Mitchell to play through any lingering disappointment of not being traded. The Jazz don’t feel that will be an issue and have always been high on Mitchell’s overall character."
Danny Ainge’s asking price is what’s kept a trade from happening, as he’s reportedly looking for as many as four unprotected first-round picks. Because RJ Barrett signed an extension with the Knicks, there’s been more talk about the Jazz getting a deal done with the Heat, but according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Utah doesn’t have traction in trade talks with any team besides New York.
It’s understandable for Ainge to want to get a solid haul in return for an All-Star who’s in his prime, but he’s set the bar far too high, which could end up hurting the Jazz if Mitchell’s still on the team to begin the season. Just because Utah’s “high on Mitchell’s overall character” doesn’t mean that he’s going to be happy to continue to wait out Ainge’s antics once the season starts.
Don’t be fooled — Ainge knows that the Knicks have the best offer. He’s smart enough to know that there are more cons than pros to holding onto Mitchell, and he can end it all with a trade if he puts his stubbornness to the side.
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