Donovan Mitchell’s future with the Utah Jazz has been a focal point around the league since it was reported earlier this week that the team was listening to offers for the star point guard. The chatter from sources around the Jazz and the league has grown louder in recent days. Here are the latest rumors, reports and information:
New York Knicks interest
• The Jazz and Knicks held significant talks about dealing Mitchell on Tuesday, according to multiple Tribune sources and as first reported by The Athletic. It was those conversations that sparked ESPN’s report that the Jazz are already listening to offers for Mitchell. Those talks were constructive enough that some thought a deal could be completed Tuesday night or Wednesday, but apparently there was no final agreement.
• In those talks and previous ones, according to a source, the Jazz have asked for a huge, essentially unprecedented salary for Mitchell. The Knicks can trade a maximum of eight straight first-round picks — the Jazz want most of those picks. They also demanded an election swap along the way. Finally, they also asked for some combination of youngsters Quentin Grimes, Immanuel Quickley, Obi Taupin, Miles McBride and Cam Reddish. Grimes is perhaps the leading target among those players for Utah.
• RJ Barrett, the third overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, was considered more valuable to the Knicks than the Jazz and therefore was not included in the final conversation, multiple sources told the Tribune.
• However, the Knicks didn’t want to give up so many of their future picks and young pieces. However, there was a significant counteroffer from the Knicks that included a smaller number of those pieces.
• In order to complete the deal, the Jazz would have to receive more salary than the Knicks as well. Julius Randle probably won’t be that piece, though — Evan Fournier or Derrick Rose are more likely, a source said.
• While no timeline has been set by either side of the deal, most expect a resolution in which the Jazz and Knicks simply agree to the terms of an offer somewhere between the current two asking prices within hours, days or weeks — whenever is a party has reason to back down.
Miami Heat Rumors
• The Knicks aren’t the only team interested in Mitchell, however. The Miami Heat have been interested in Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell in recent weeks.
• But their stable of young pieces and photos just isn’t as appealing as New York’s. The Heat traded their 2025 first-round pick, meaning they can only offer their 2023 pick, their 2027 pick, and their 2029 pick, along with trades for picks in the remaining years. The Heat also have a deficit of young players compared to New York. Tyler Hero, 22, is a nice piece, but Max Struss, Gabe Vincent and Omer Yurtseven are older and on shorter contracts than their key Knicks counterparts.
• The Heat made an offer weeks ago for Mitchell that included nearly all of those pieces, but the Jazz found it insufficient. At the time, sources told the Tribune, the Jazz and Heat agreed that a third team might be needed in a trade to bring more value to the Jazz — likely meaning the Heat would have to send veterans elsewhere to become a younger player or choose value in return.
• The Heat are doing this in hopes of acquiring Durant or Mitchell. Overall, though, it seems less likely than the New York option.
• At least one voice in the Jazz front office favors Herro as a return to Barrett, according to a source. Why? Consider their Basketball Reference predictions for next season:
(Basketball-Reference.com)
(Basketball-Reference.com)
In essence, Herro’s likelihood to be a cheaper contract going forward and his more advanced shooting stroke are reasons for optimism. Sure, Barrett is longer, younger and has a lot more defensive potential. Bleacher Report’s Jake Fisher polled “over two dozen” Las Vegas Summer League front office executives who reported they believe Barrett has more trade value than Herro by a “wide margin.”
• Jokes have been written about the party-happy Herro in Utah, but a source familiar with Herro’s thinking says he’s more optimistic about a potential marriage — especially one where he’d play a bigger role than in Miami.
Brooklyn Nets in action?
• Another option that was considered: Mitchell ending up in New York — but to the Brooklyn Nets, not the Knicks. In that circumstance, the Nets would trade Kevin Durant to a third team, possibly Phoenix, and use the capital they get back to acquire Mitchell. Nets owner Joe Tsai reportedly wants to keep a competitive roster in Brooklyn despite trading Durant, and Mitchell would be a logical starting point.
• However, there are huge obstacles to the idea. The first is that the Nets, under CBA rule, cannot hold the rookie extensions assigned to Mitchell and Ben Simmons at the same time, since both were acquired in a trade. The Nets will have to move Simmons to either the Jazz or another team.
• Second, the Suns will need to post enough salary to balance Durant’s $44 million contract — and Mikal Bridges’ $20 million isn’t enough. Center DeAndre Ayton, who could be useful as both salary cap and rebounder, just signed an offer sheet to a max extension with the Indiana Pacers. The Suns, if they match, cannot trade Ayton without his permission for one year.
• Multiple other teams made inquiries about Mitchell’s availability after the Gobert deal, but the Jazz found that many of those offers weren’t particularly close to the asking price.
• Overall, the Jazz enter talks with the goal of acquiring as many future assets as possible, both in the form of a player and a pick. They’re doing this without caring much about their 2022-23 win total: just as they did in the Gobert trade, they’re prioritizing future picks over players who are winning now.
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