Despite recently agreeing to trade All-Star center Rudy Gobert for a collection of veteran contracts and first-round draft picks in a deal sure to reduce their ceiling in the short term, the Jazz have indicated to inquiring teams that All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell isn’t available as a trade target, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link via ClutchPoints).
“They want to continue to build a roster around Donovan Mitchell,” Wojnarowski said of Utah’s front office. “They have shut down any team who has called about trying to trade for Donovan Mitchell. The Jazz are committed to moving forward with him as their cornerstone player.”
How much of this stance is merely a negotiating tactic remains to be seen. Marc Stein adds in a new Substack piece that, while he echoes Woj’s reporting that the Jazz are currently suggesting a disinterest in dealing away the 25-year-old All-NBA shooting guard, he expects that team CEO Danny Ainge would have the blessing of ownership to move Mitchell in the future.
Around rival executives, however, teams remain optimistic that Mitchell could be had for the right price.
There’s more out of Utah:
- As a result of the aforementioned Rudy Gobert deal, the Jazz have added several promising young current and future players, writes Ryan McDonald of the Deseret News. Auburn big man Walker Kessler, the No. 22 in the 2022 NBA draft, will arrive in Utah with potentially a more outsized role than had been anticipated for him with the Timberwolves.
- Jazz Summer League wing Johnny Juzang is being held out of a team practice today following a car accident on Saturday, according to Eric Walden of the Salt Laker Tribune (Twitter link). Juzang, a former UCLA swingman who went undrafted in 2022, is set to join Jazz on a two-way deal.
- NBA veteran Tacko Fall, currently playing on the Jazz’s Summer League team, informs Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link) that Evan Bradds, formerly a Player Enhancement Staff member with the Celtics, has been hired as an assistant coach under new Jazz head coach Will Hardy.
Mitchell can have what Durant wanted, a team built around him, so to take credit if/when the team succeeds. In Utah’s case though, Ainge took away the star’s freinds.
People keep talking about them trading his friends like it’s a sign they going to get rid of him. On one hand, it does look like that from the outside. On the other hand, I keep thinking the Jazz and Donovan must’ve discussed their plan before they started executing it.
It seems they had to clear roster spots for the Gobert trade. Those guys were the quickest available options for them. 2 of them were at the end of the bench. Royce had been sought-after in trade offers. Notice how they had to do that first?
One big thing the Royce trade did was get them under the luxury tax on the last day of the previous season. That means the trade exception value changes. I’m sure they needed that in order to bring back so many players. A side benefit is it gave the Jazz the extra $10M the non-tax paying teams got from the tax pot.
As for the new players, I actually like every guy the got in the Gobert trade. They offer a wide variety of different options for Will Hardy. Of course, if the Jazz are able to consolidate towards even better players then I’m sure they’ll do that, but only at the right price.
I don’t expect them to trade any of the later 1st round picks they got from Minnesota. They could become really high draft picks if Minnesota loses a lot again. Although, any team with Gobert likely won’t lose as much as win. He’s too competitive to let that happen around him.
The last 2 Wolves picks are after Rudy ends his contract at 34yrs old … Nets could try to get them inna 3 teams KD trade
I think Ainge can do a better job of building around Mitchell, than Mitchell could picking his freinds. The Nets experience shows that.
Trading Mitchells’s freinds does not mean Mitchell will be traded— the opposite.
But if he asks out, that won’t matter.
I thought posters might provide examples of personel moves made to get freinds together. To me, the trend does not look good.
Collin Sexton’s 3rd year stats look amazingly similar to that of Mitchell’s 3rd year stats.
Mitchell
19-20: 24 pts-45%/37%/86%
Reb: 4 pg. Assts: 4
TO: 2.7. DefRtg: 111
Sexton
20-21: 24 pts-47%/37%/82%
Reb: 3 pg. Assts: 4
TO: 2.8 DefRtg: 118
both 6’1 combo guards.
hmmmm……..
Mitchell’s averaged 28/5/5 in playoff ball though.
Mitchell played on winning teams too, except maybe a 5 game stint last year for Sexton.
@Codeeg @Theo
Yes but winning is a team effort. He simply hasn’t had a chance to perform on that stage yet. But he’s had special moments. He lit the Nets up for 42 in overtime when they had Durant, Harden and Irving all playing. He had that moment in NCAA where he almost beat the opponents when he had to play 3 vs 5 because the rest of the team fouled out early in the 2nd half. Scored 40 trying to make a comeback. But a lot of similar guesses have yet to win but have much more praise than Sexton gets. Just trying to figure out why this kid isn’t getting his props. His defense is poor but so are most of the star guards, many of them worse.
Mitchell also has a much bigger presence in the media and in the locker room. I’ve watched them both play in the off-season, last Summer, together in Miami with a bunch of other guys. Sexton does score well and is a good player. Donovan just has that confidence, calm, and presence that’s hard to fake. Add DM’s skill and that’s hard to not want on your team.
Other players and teams recognize these traits about Donovan. That’s a big reason why so many are rumored to want to trade for him. We don’t hear about any Sexton rumors much at all. That could be because of his injury status, of course. Other teams might think Sexton is damaged goods, possibly, too?
Their advanced stats have Mitchell ahead by a decent margin.
@rct such as?
No D no ring
@Sebch
they both have similar DefRtg and neither have a ring. your point?
Again individual stats doesn’t give you a ring, it’s just performance ratings. Go watch Spida getting crushed by Brunson last PO stage when he has the chance to perform and getting his props blablabla and tell me you can rebuild around Donovan again with no Rudy defense. He’s gonna be EXPOSED but in a way he doesn’t want to…
Acquiring Gobert for at a cost of an insane number of players and draft choices will have the same result for the Timberpuppies as did another lopsided past trade by a Minnesota team The addition of Gobert will have the same result for the Timberpuppies as did the Hershel Walker acquisition did for the ViQueens. In the same fashion as the capital obtained for Walker laid the foundation for the resurgence of the Cowboys, the haul from the Gobert trade will provide a springboard of young, inexpensive talent for a quick rebuild by the Jazz. Then as now, Minnesota fans will continue sipping the team owner supplied Kool-Aid.
Big cringe on ‘ViQueens’. Lame.
Once either team actually accomplishes something, they will then deserve to be called by their proper names. Same goes for the Twinkies and the Mild.
Wow man what a take. NBA drafts and NFL drafts are very different and draft position matters more for NBA. I think you overestimate the impact of picks in the (presumably) 20’s. Not a fan of the volume of unprotected picks given out from an asset management standpoint but Gobert is a difference maker in ways that the dream version of HW could never be. Annoyed with this comparison.
What is it about the miserable past performance, since 1989, that has you so optimistic on the future performance of the Timberpuppies that has you believing that those traded away draft choices will be in the 20’s and not top 20 or Lottery picks? Again, based on team history, trading away all of those 1st rounders means that adding talent is left to trades and/or free agent signings because the Timberpuppies do not have a clue as far as the utilization of second round draft choices to actually DRAFT future NBA players.
ViQueens thought Walker would be a difference maker too, and we all know how that turned out.
No you’re right. Because a team in a different sport 30(!) years ago traded for a guy and it didn’t work out this will be similar BECAUSE the teams are in the same city. And team history means literally nothing. This is a different front office, brand new in fact, and a new set of players that include multiple All-NBA guys. All I should’ve said is “Ant” cuz he is that dude. I said before the picks are a lot. But this team will be good and the HW comp is wrong and lazy.
Team history is relevant. the Timberpuppies are cursed. Take a look historically at both the head basketball guys and the head coaches they have had. Didn’t matter who they were, they made bonehead moves and the team failed to impress.
Connolly is just the next rah-rah guy who thinks that he knows it all and is trying to prove it to the league and the fans with his recent series of “Monte Hall” DEALS !!
@Jackson
Because in the NBAa solid core of 4 or 5 really good players can turn into championship contenders. They got a taste of the playoffs and they want more. They have Towns locked up for another 6 seasons. Edwards another 2 with expectations he’ll sign a rookie extension. Gobert another 4 years and my guess is they can keep Russell if they want. Now’s the time to strike. It’s all about winning. if they fail then they’ll have little trouble turning Towns, Edwards and probably Gobert into future draft assets.
The Tibs philosophy of playing the starting5 into the ground with trash behind them has been played out unsuccessfully by a multitude of teams. When this move by the Timberpuppies flops, the values of the so-called core will be dramatically downgraded by ineffective performances and age. Also there will be team chemistry issues as players will want to bail out of a historically losing team for another team with real upside.
@Jackson
Last I checked Thibs isn’t the coach. Last I checked it likely will take a year or two. No need in assuming anything. You have no idea who or what a player will be willing to sacrifice to win until they can sniff it and want it bad enough. Point is, give it up to management for making a bold move. In the words of Rams GM Les Snead…”f them picks “!!
Thibs is long gone but with depleted bench depth, a bloated payroll, a 50% reduction in First Round Draft Choices coupled with an organization that historically has ignored any opportunity to draft and develop talent in the second round; what is left is to trot out a starting 5 for maximum minutes every night. Long term, that just doesn’t work.
Jazz are using the Washington model, but with more picks. 1 dude maxed out, bunch of decent role players and an outside shot at the play in.