Report: Two Other Jazz Players Named as Likely Trade Pieces 'In the Next 6 Months'

ESPN's NBA insider Brian Windhorst is sticking to his guns on the notion that Utah Jazz All-Star Donovan Mitchell will be traded this year.

Windhorst shared his insight on the Rich Eisen show.

“I was pretty sure then the Jazz were going to trade Gobert and Donovan Mitchell and I still stand by that," Windhorst told Eisen.

Windhorst then pivoted to his thoughts on Bojan Bogdanovic and Mike Conley.

“I don’t know if they’ll be able to execute that but I expect you would also see Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic traded at some point in the next six months," Windhorst said.

Brian Windhorst yesterday on the Rich Eisen show talking about Donovan Mitchell, The Knicks & Heat!

He says he believes Donovan would actually want to play in Miami but the Heat just do not have the pieces. pic.twitter.com/uwO7BsAwMo
— NBA Jay Knicky (@JayKnicky) August 19, 2022

Windhorst was the first NBA insider that suspected that the Jazz were heading towards a rebuild after the Royce O’Neale trade to the Brooklyn Nets. At the time, it appeared as a minor reshuffle of the roster, but Windhorst had some inside intel that proved otherwise.

The blockbuster Rudy Gobert trade happened one week later, and the Mitchell rumors haven’t stopped since.

Bogdanovic is in his last year with the Jazz, and it’s a given that he’ll be moved at some point in the season. Jazz executive Danny Ainge could use Bogdanovic to help facilitate a Mitchell trade by bringing in a third team, or he could wait until the trade deadline and get a draft pick back from a team contending for a title.

Conley’s situation is a little more tricky. He still has two years left on his deal that expires when he’s 36.

If the Jazz can’t move Conley this summer, a trade to a contender at the deadline would be plausible, but he will have to play well for Utah if he’s going to draw any interest.

This could put first-year head coach Will Hardy between a rock and a hard place. Giving Conley starter minutes could increase his trade value, but at the expense of young players that need live reps to develop.

All of this speculation may be putting the cart before the horse, but these are the conversations the Jazz front office is having behind closed doors as we wait for the Mitchell domino to fall.

Follow Patrick on Twitter @pbyrnesNBA.

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