NBA Trade Rumors: Wizards believe they can land Donovan Mitchell

NBA Trade Rumors: The Washington Wizards believe they are very much in the hunt when it comes to the Donovan Mitchell sweepstakes.

With less than a month before the start of NBA Training Camps, the expectation around the league is that Donovan Mitchell will be on a new team sooner rather than later. It was reported a few days ago that the Utah Jazz would like to move sooner rather than later (perhaps before the start of training camp) when it comes to a possible Mitchell trade.

However, that recently took a hit when it was reported that the New York Knicks (who have been viewed as the favorite to land Mitchell) agreed to a contract extension with RJ Barrett (who was expected to possibly be a centerpiece in any deal for Mitchell).

Could a dark horse team steal Donovan Mitchell?

Barrett’s contract extension will likely complicate trade talks between the Knicks and Jazz. Question is, how much so? Will it be to the extent of possibly opening the door for another team to swoop in and steal Mitchell?

If so, there is one team to keep an eye on: the Washington Wizards.

According to a recent report, the Wizards believe they are in the Mitchell sweepstakes. And considering that the Knicks just made their situation that much more complicated after the RJ Barrett contract extension, it’s not that outlandish to believe that considering the circumstances that Mitchell could be dealt elsewhere. Possibly the Wizards.

If this is true, this is great news for the Wizards. Washington has tinkered with irrelevance for the past five seasons. And by going all-in with Bradley Beal, this team needs to prove that it can surround him with the necessary talent to make a climb up the Eastern Conference standings.

So far, they haven’t made any moves that would suggest that.

Acquiring Mitchell would qualify as just that, however. A duo of Mitchell and Beal would rival any other dynamic duo in the conference. They’d be questions about their defense, but the Wizards would have as much firepower as any other team in the East.

Perhaps more importantly, they would ignite excitement and intrigue back into the franchise.