The rebuild at the Utah Jazz is probably not yet complete. As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports, the Jazz should be open to trading superstar Donovan Mitchell after all. Two teams are probably interested in the guard.
According to the report, Jazz is listening to offers from other teams, even though the franchise had previously said they wanted to keep Mitchell. Shortly after starting free agency, the Jazz had already traded their other star, Rudy Gobert, in a surprise move to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
According to Wojnarowski, the price for Mitchell should be high. Jazz GM Justin Zanik avoided a clear commitment to Mitchell in a press conference on Saturday when asked if the guard was untouchable.
“I don’t want to be cryptic, but Donovan is part of our team. Things change quickly in this league, so I can’t say anyone is untouchable. We want to build a championship team, but there’s no thinking about Mitchell trade,” said Zanik.
According to Shams, the main prospects for Mitchell are Charania and Tony Jones (both The Athletic) the New York Knicks. They have eight first-round picks and some young players like RJ Barrett or Quentin Grimes. Both teams are said to have already held talks, and the Miami Heat are also being traded as possible buyers.
According to ESPN no player is untouchable in the Jazz, Utah is open to accepting offers for all players, with Mitchell, of course, being the player likely to draw the most interest. The 25-year-old averaged 25.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists last season and still has a contract in Salt Lake City until 2026, which will bring him around $ 135 million.
However, since Mitchell was drafted by the Jazz in 2017, the franchise has consistently failed to make the playoffs. Three times it ended in round one, the other two times it ended in the conference semifinals, with the 2-4 against the LA Clippers in particular weighing heavily, since they were still 0-2 behind without superstar Kawhi Leonard for the series decided.
