Potential Donovan Mitchell Trade Options
The Utah Jazz absolutely do not want to trade Donovan Mitchell any time soon.
After all, he’s still just 25 years old and is already established as one of the best pure scorers this league has to offer. Additionally, he has all the highlights and the personality to be a marquee star in the NBA.
Unfortunately, though, Salt Lake City is not the most attractive long-term destination for NBA players due to the quiet nature of the surrounding area despite the Jazz being one of the better franchises over these last few decades.
With that said, it appears inevitable that Mitchell would request a trade out of there, as he’s locked into the franchise for at least another three seasons on a supermax contract.
For now, the Jazz hold all the leverage, but at some point, Mitchell will likely grow tired of not getting deep into the playoffs nor having the talent around him to get to where he’d like to be.
The New York Knicks, Miami Heat, and Atlanta Hawks are the three teams Mitchell would have interest in joining should he finally request a trade, according to Brett Siegel of Sports Illustrated.
While Mitchell is an Elmsford, New York native, he may have reservations about joining his hometown team, as he’s not the biggest fan of current Knicks owner James Dolan.
Which team makes the most sense?
It’s totally understandable why Mitchell would have qualms about joining a team that is owned by Dolan.
Dolan is known for mistreating ex-players, such as Charles Oakley if they’re caught criticizing him.
Newsflash to Dolan, if your team fails to qualify for the playoffs year in and year out despite playing in the biggest market in the league, maybe the problem is you and not those who are criticizing you, especially if they were once a part of the fabric of successful teams in your franchise history.
It’s been proven that nothing the Knicks do well is sustainable for a long period of time. Egos tend to get in the way of building a good culture around the organization. Mitchell should stay far away from that team.
On paper, a backcourt pairing of Mitchell and Trae Young is as beautiful as they come. The offense will come in bunches, but defensively, they better have a defensive guard who can help stagger their minutes and quality wing defenders or rim protectors, or else it could get ugly on that side of the ball.
That is why the Heat make the most sense, as they have two quality defenders in Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo to hold it down, as Mitchell can solely focus on scoring the ball.
He will be the Dwyane Wade replacement they’ve been seeking. The Miami Heat desperately needed another scorer in their Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Boston Celtics, so If the Heat can land Mitchell, that will go a long way in keeping their championship window open for years to come.
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