There’s going to be renewed rumors of a potential Donovan Mitchell trade from the Utah Jazz this summer. Mitchell, 25, is a key component for a Utah organization that has seen things change on a dime recently. That included the resignation of long-time head coach Quin Snyder.
With a reported rift still existing between Mitchell and fellow All-Star Rudy Gobert, the former could end up requesting a trade. This is magnified with recent reports that Mitchell is questioning Utah’s future following Snyder’s resignation.
If the All-Star guard were to force his way from Salt Lake City, there would be no limited number of interested teams. Below, we look at five ideal Donovan Mitchell trade scenarios this summer.
Donovan Mitchell trade to the Atlanta Hawks
Hawks get: Donovan Mitchell
Jazz get: John Collins, De’Andre Hunter, Jalen Johnson, two first-round picks
It’s not a secret that Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk is looking to blow up his roster behind stud guard Trae Young. Atlanta is coming off a disappointing first-round exit in the 2022 NBA Playoffs and needs to find another star to team up with Young.
The good news? These Hawks have the assets to acquire pretty much anyone who will be available in trade talks during the summer. That includes all of their future first-round picks and a first-round selection from Charlotte in 2023. Said pick would be one of those headed to Utah in this hypothetical deal.
Being able to team Young up with Mitchell would make Atlanta a legit force in the Eastern Conference moving forward.
- Donovan Mitchell stats (2019-22): 25.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.9 APG, 45% shooting, 37% 3-point
Atlanta would also still have assets to acquire another top-flight player via a trade. That includes the contracts of Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Gallinari as well as youngsters Onyeka Okongwu and Kevin Huerter.
Trading Mitchell would likely send the Jazz into a full-scale rebuild. Why not attempt to add multiple future first-round picks and a trio of youngsters?
John Collins has proven himself to be among the most-skilled bigs in the game. He’s also only 24 years old. De’Andre Hunter was a top-four selection in the 2019 NBA Draft and has flashed some excellence from the wing spot. Meanwhile, Johnson himself was also a first-round pick last summer. That’s a boat load of talent to bring to Salt Lake.