NBA Rumors: The Utah Jazz is motivated to move Donovan Mitchell before the start of training camp.
The Utah Jazz opened the NBA offseason by making one of the biggest splashes by trading Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was a historic return and it put the Jazz in an interesting position – to retool around Donovan Mitchell or lean into the full rebuild and trade him.
Over the past few weeks, we have had a pretty strong indication of what direction the Jazz is heading. And it seems recently, the Jazz has gotten more and more inclined to trade Mitchell sooner rather than later.
How soon, though? That’s the question that many have asked recently, but we may now have a clear answer to it.
The Utah Jazz wants to pivot toward a new rebuild before the start of training camp
According to a report from ESPN (via Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective podcast), the Jazz wants to trade Mitchell before the start of training camp if possible. Of course, a lot would have to happen between now and then.
For one, I don’t think this means the Jazz are just going to accept whatever offer is on the table in the next few weeks before the start of training camp.
And two, the hope is that with this report of smoke out there, perhaps it will open the door for offers to get more serious. Maybe teams will begin to feel the heat and that an offer is coming that they would be more willing to give up final offers?
Considering what the Jazz was able to get in exchange for Gobert, it’s no surprise that the asking price for a player that is younger and (arguably) better is so high. But it remains to be seen if any team out there is willing to meet Utah’s demands.
And what could happen if a team doesn’t.
Interestingly enough, Mitchel hasn’t requested a trade from the Jazz but would welcome a trade to the Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, or Miami Heat. However, it seems like the Knicks (for a myriad of reasons) are still the favorites to land Mitchell.
So with somewhat a deadline for a deal, the next question is whether the Knicks and Jazz can find an agreement. Either way, it seems as if Mitchell is unlikely to still be a member of the Jazz by the time training camp rolls around.