Is The Donovan Mitchell Era Over In Utah?
After yet another disappointing NBA Playoffs run, the Utah Jazz have failed to make it past the second round since 2007, despite having some notable stars going through Utah. On paper, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert seem like a perfect fit.
Mitchell, a score-first guard who has career averages of 23.9 PPG and 4.5 APG has been one of the best guards in the league since his rookie season. Gobert is a defensive-maestro, who has accumulated three-DPOY awards and solidified his spot as one of the best big men in the league.
However, this duo hasn’t been as successful as one might expect. Despite having an above average supporting cast, it seems as if the Jazz will need to part ways with one of their stars in the coming months. Gobert might be the player many expect to be moved, as he will be 30 at the start of next season.
However, a Mitchell trade would inherently bring in more value and could keep this Utah Jazz team from a full-rebuild. Therefore, what are some packages that could make sense if Mitchell were to end up in another jersey next season? Here's the first option.
Cleveland acquires Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic in a package around Colin Sexton. Utah receives: Collin Sexton, Isaac Okoro, Lauri Markkanen, a 2024 NBA Lottery protected 1st Round selection, and a 2022 second round pick.
Or, perhaps, Cleveland receives Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic.
The Cavaliers were looking like a top four seed at one point this season, until injuries derailed them, ending their season with failing to make it out the play-in. Cleveland heads into next season with a lot of pieces on their team to be excited about, or pieces to be used in a package to make a deal. With this trade, Utah will receive a great package that would keep them competitive out West.
Sexton, Okoro and Markkanen could all be starters, and all of these players are under 25 years old. On Cleveland’s side, they would form one of the best backcourts in the NBA with Mitchell and Garland.
They also wouldn’t be completely out of depth, as they’d still have Caris LeVert and Kevin Love as bench pieces. As much as this trade does have Cleveland giving up a lot, it doesn’t seem like Cleveland would be even bringing back Sexton this offseason. This trade should be a win-win, as long as the Cavaliers can continue to elevate up the Eastern Conference standings.
Another option, the Knicks part ways with Randle and Quickley. Utah receives Julius Randle, Immanuel Quickley, Cam Reddish, and a 2023 Top 5 Protected Pick. New York Receives Mitchell and Royce O’Neale.
Knicks fans have been waiting for their star ever since Carmelo Anthony left the Big Apple. Even though Randle delivered an All-NBA season in 2021, he failed to continue that success into the 2021-22 NBA season. With a fanbase that hasn’t seen much playoff success recently, they can help step in the right direction and bring a star into New York.
For Utah, Quickley and Reddish appear expandable in this team, as neither have solidified roles on this roster. That stated, a fresh start could help tap into their potential as both players are 22 years old. Randle’s main purpose in this deal would be to fill in the cap, and give Utah an All-Star caliber player in return. For the
Knicks, they would receive not only Mitchell, but a defensive swiss-army knife in O’Neale who Coach Thibodeau would adore.
No matter what Utah decides to do, logical thinking provokes the notion of getting a really good return for Mitchell. Let's see what the higher ups in the Jazz organization end up doing.
