Magic Should Trade For Donovan Mitchell, Says Bill Simmons

The Magic might be in play for the Utah Jazz All-Star.

Jeremy Brener | Jul 20, 2022

Magic Should Trade For Donovan Mitchell, Says Bill Simmons /

ORLANDO - With Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell has become available in trade talks, many are speculating where the two-time All-Star might call his next home.

While the New York Knicks are the team heavily invested in trading for Mitchell, dark horse candidates are emerging ... even the Orlando Magic.

On a recent episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, Simmons broke down the idea of a trade between the Jazz and the Magic.

"How about this? [Jalen] Suggs, you have [Jonathan] Isaac ... You could maybe throw Cole Anthony their way, and then three unprotected [first-round picks] and two swaps," Simmons said. "And now all of a sudden, you're ready to go. You have a real professional offensive basketball team."

The trade idea Simmons created isn't far off from what we suggested last week as a potential offer for Mitchell.

Acquiring Mitchell would certainly help improve the Magic.

A two-time All-Star over his first five seasons, Mitchell has proven to be one of the most prolific scorers in the league posting career averages of 23.9 points, while shooting 44 percent from the field and 36 percent from beyond the arc.

Not only is he a juggernaut on the offensive side of the ball, Mitchell would provide veteran leadership, along with a track record of playing unbelievable basketball in the playoffs.

Mitchell signed a four-year, $135 million dollar contract extension last off-season and is due roughly $30 million this season.

Making a trade for Mitchell would form a "Big 3" with Franz Wagner and No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero that could put Orlando back on the basketball map.

Published Jul 20, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.