1 team expected to move “quickly” on Donovan Mitchell trade

Over the weekend, the Utah Jazz signaled that they’d be willing to listen to offers for Donovan Mitchell. Now, one Jazz insider thinks that the New York Knicks are going to move fast to make an offer.

Tony Jones, who covers the Utah Jazz for The Athletic, said that he would “expect the New York Knicks to quickly try and put together a package for Donovan Mitchell.”

Expect the New York Knicks to quickly try and put together a package for Donovan Mitchell, according to league sources. Utah’s bar for Trading Mitchell is sky high. But the Knicks are the team that has the assets to make this a conversation

— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) July 12, 2022

Jazz GM Justin Zanik alluded to the possibility of trading Mitchell during a press conference on Saturday.

“Change is inevitable in the NBA,” Zanik said. “I’m not trying to be cryptic or anything else, but Donovan is on our roster and he’s a very, very important part of what we’re trying to do. Things evolve in the NBA, so I couldn’t sit here and say anybody is [untouchable]. We’re trying to build a championship team, but there’s no intent [to trade Mitchell], at all.”

The Jazz are in full rebuild mode after trading Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a bunch of players and draft picks. While they initially made it clear they did not want to trade Mitchell as well, it appears as though they might just want to tear the whole building down and start fresh.

The 25-year-old would command a steep price on the trade market, given that he’s averaged 23.9 points and 4.5 assists per game in five seasons with Utah. He still has four years and $134.9 million remaining on the maximum extension he signed in 2020, though the final year is a player option for $37.1 million.

The question for the Knicks is less who they would offer for Mitchell but who, exactly, the Jazz would be interested in acquiring from their roster.

[Tony Jones]