According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Utah Jazz is warming up to trading Donovan Mitchell, but the asking price “appears to be steep.”
Jazz general manager Justin Zanik told reporters in a recent interview, “Change is inevitable in the NBA…Things evolve in the NBA, so I couldn’t sit here and say anybody is [untouchable]…There’s no intent there [to trade Mitchell] at all.”
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 12, 2022
The trade development isn’t surprising in the aftermath of Rudy Gobert and Royce O’Neale being traded to the Timberwolves and Nets, respectively. After Quin Snyder abruptly resigned as head coach of the Jazz, the writing seemed to be on the wall that Utah would be going through an overhaul of the team. Through eight seasons under Snyder, the Jazz could never advance past the conference semifinals, and change was needed.
The first moves came with Gobert getting traded for four first-round picks, Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverly, Walker Kessler, and Jarred Vanderbilt. O’Neale was flipped for a 2023 draft pick around the same time. There was smoke but no fire about him being traded when it came to Mitchell.
That changed after Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reported that teams around the League asked about Mitchell’s availability. Utah reportedly declined to entertain any inquiries because they thought Utah thought franchises were trying to “pounce on a perceived opportunity” to acquire Mitchell.
The asking price appears to be steep, but in the wake of Utah’s recent Rudy Gobert blockbuster deal to Minnesota, the Jazz are no longer simply dismissing calls on Mitchell, sources said.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 12, 2022
The trade market for Mitchell could be hefty for any team looking to acquire Mitchell. The Knicks have reportedly emerged as a prime target to trade for Spida. The Knicks already signed Jalen Brunson to a near-max deal; making a move to get Mitchell on the roster could be a coup for the Knicks and give them one of the best backcourt combinations in the NBA.
According to insider Marc Stein, the Knicks could make a trade centered around RJ Barrett. Playing for the Knicks is attractive for the Knicks as a hometown guy and his former coach, Johnnie Bryant, joined the Knicks coaching staff ahead of the 202-21 season.
It remains to be seen how quickly a trade can be made for Mitchell. The Knicks will likely receive some competition for Mitchell, so the speed of the transaction may happen as soon as it did for Gobert.
