3 Positive Ways the Kevin Durant News Impacts the Jazz

Kevin Durant is staying put in Brooklyn, and here's how it benefits the Jazz.

The domino finally fell in the Kevin Durant dilemma, as the future Hall-of-Famer could not strong-arm his way out of Brooklyn.

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— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) August 23, 2022

The ripple effect is already being felt around the league, and it could influence the Utah Jazz in more ways than one.

Let’s take a look at how the Jazz are impacted by the Durant resolution.

More Bidders for Donovan Mitchell

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The first and most obvious is the potential in more bidding for Mitchell. Teams that were in the Durant sweepstakes can now pivot and use those resources to try and obtain Mitchell. 

This doesn’t change the fact that the New York Knicks still can offer the most lucrative package, but it can a.) force the Knicks to increase their offer and b.) help get closure on the matter sooner rather than later. 

Increases the Odds of a Laker-Jazz Trade

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It’s no secret that the Los Angeles Lakers are motivated to get out from under Russell Westbrook’s contract. The first option of the Lakers front office (also known as LeBron James) was a Kyrie Irving-James reunion, but now that ship has sailed with the Nets keeping Durant.

This increases the odds of the Jazz taking on Westbrook's salary and receiving draft capital in exchange for some of their vets on expiring contracts. Patrick Beverley, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Malik Beasley should be put on notice and may be calling L.A. home due to Durant staying in Brooklyn. 

The Indiana Pacers are the other team that’s been linked to a Laker deal, which could make a Westbrook trade to Utah a coin flip. 

NBA Owners Taking Back Control

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First, I need to preface this by saying that Mitchell has been a 100% pro during this process and has never displayed a “diva” attitude during his five-year career.

That being said, it bodes well for NBA franchises when All-Star talents can’t force their way out of town.

Players like Durant, Ben Simmons, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving have been able to pout their way out of Dodge in the past, but it feels like the tide is turning, and owners are taking back the reins. 

Bottom Line

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The Durant news is good if trade talks with the New York Knicks really have gone south, and the Jazz have decided to keep Donovan Mitchell. Durant's inability to force a trade should help the small-market teams from being bullied when a marquee player wants a change.

We’re less than two months away from the season opener, so hopefully, this will all work itself out soon. 

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Follow Patrick on Twitter @pbyrnesNBA.

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