Ranking the 4 best non-Heat trade offers for Donovan Mitchell
If there’s one thing Heat fans are never shy about – other than overreacting to mild mid-season speed bumps – it’s clamoring over a star who may or may not become available at some point in the near (or even not-so-near) future. Heat Twitter is undefeated at locating and locking onto its targets like a snake with its fangs dug into its next meal; they are persistent and not easily dissuaded by what you would call “rational thinking.” And the disappointment of the season ending a bit earlier than anticipated has Heat fans sharpening their harpoons at the prospect of landing a whale this summer.
Utah Jazz superstar Donovan Mitchell has ostensibly grown frustrated with the organization on and off the court. There have been numerous reports over the last few years of his discontent with fellow star Rudy Gobert and the team’s inability to contend for a championship. It’s been reported that Mitchell was not pleased with the team parting ways with Quin Snyder, the only head coach he has known during his NBA tenure.
This has led to fans of the other 29 NBA teams conjuring up ways they’d be able to see Mitchell wearing their team’s gear next year (yes, jersey swap season is in full effect on Twitter).
Heat fans have gone abuzz about potentially adding Mitchell – who doesn't even need to be Photoshopped to be seen rocking a Heat jersey – to a team that was one shot away from a trip to the NBA Finals this season. Considering Mitchell’s admiration for Heat legend Dwyane Wade and their blossoming relationship with Wade now part of the Jazz organization, along with his close friendship with Heat cornerstone Bam Adebayo, the connection between Mitchell and Miami comes naturally.
The Jazz, however, appear to be dampening NBA fans’ desire for chaos. Utah’s front office has apparently been uninterested in discussing trades for Mitchell to this point, and appear more willing to ship out Gobert of the two. When considering a rebuild, what’s better than building around a 25-year-old bucket-getter?
Any trade negotiations involving Mitchell would only be able to truly begin if Mitchell presents a trade demand to Utah’s front office – a step that is far from guaranteed. Even then, considering he is under contract for the next three seasons, the Jazz would have no real impetus to seek out a trade. They could simply sit on the request and demand that he play out the remainder of his contract. They could also, though, decide to oblige to the trade request as an act of goodwill and to avoid any future headaches and bad PR that tend to accompany disgruntled superstars.
This is all to say that a Mitchell trade actually happening this offseason has less than a 50% likelihood of crossing the finish line, but a non-zero chance is a chance nonetheless. And if there’s one thing Heat fans have learned over the years, it’s to never count out Heat President Pat Riley.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald recently laid out what could be the Heat’s best offer for Mitchell:
HEAT SEND:
SG Tyler Herro,
SF Duncan Robinson,
C Omer Yurtseven,
2023 first round pick
JAZZ SEND:
SG Donovan Mitchell
Don’t let me make Miami’s case for you, here’s a snippet from a Bleacher Report article that eloquently outlines what could be attractive about the Heat's offer:
For the Jazz, this might be about as good a "build around Gobert" starter kit as they can realistically get.
Herro is younger than Mitchell and can already give you probably 80-85 percent of what [Mitchell] does offensively. Plus, he's bigger and theoretically more switchable on defense.
Robinson has good size for a wing, too. And even in a down year by his standards, he shot 37.2 percent from three on 7.9 attempts per game. His off-ball movement can scramble defenses, which would give Gobert more space inside.
And Yurtseven obviously wouldn't be expected to step into Gobert's shoes right away, but he's 23 years old and showed enough this season to suggest he can be a decent backup 5.
As you’ll see later on, the Heat face an uphill battle due to the number of draft picks they’re able to send in a trade. The next first round pick the Heat would be able to send after 2023 comes in 2027. The hope here is that the Jazz would value the players returning in the deal enough to forego potentially more draft capital from another team.
Keep in mind that the NBA’s “Stepien Rule” prevents teams from trading away first-round picks in consecutive years. But, as you’ll see in each of the offers to come, teams can circumvent the rule by owning multiple first rounders in certain years.
It’s also worth noting that Jazz CEO Danny Ainge has something of a history with Riley. Draft picks aside, this could be the biggest hurdle Miami has to overcome to win the Mitchell Sweepstakes. We’ll have to wait and see if that rivalry comes into play during negotiations.
In this piece we’ll examine how the Heat’s top offer stacks up against the 5 best non-South Beach trade destinations based on fit, assets, and reported interest. The deals are kept clean (no 3-team trades or unnecessary add-ins) and as aggressive as possible (the best offer these teams could realistically make). The actual deal, if it were to come to fruition, probably wouldn't look exactly like these, but the framework could be similar.
We can immediately eliminate from contention teams that already have a player filling the role and skillset Mitchell provides, along with teams that likely wouldn’t be willing to part with the players necessary to facilitate such a deal. That removes the Celtics (Jaylen Brown), Raptors (Fred VanVleet), and Warriors (…duh), among others.
There are also simpler deals than the ones shown that could take place with teams that have big names that are expected to be available in trade talks. If the Jazz become enamored with, say, Russell Westbrook or Ben Simmons and their potential fit next to Gobert, the Lakers or Nets could swoop in and steal Mitchell’s services. But that would be hard to envision taking place.
This piece was written under the impression that the Jazz would be retaining Gobert and that they would prefer young talent and draft picks in return for Mitchell to jumpstart their rebuild, rather than collecting veteran question marks like Westbrook or Simmons with the headaches that seem to follow them everywhere they go.
Let’s get started, shall we?
Bring Spida to Miami!