Over the past couple of years, multiple insiders have reported that Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell don’t get along. Moreover, watching them fail in the playoffs year in and year out proves that the Utah Jazz needto move on from one or the other.
Gobert is their defensive anchor and perhaps the best interior defender in the league. Mitchell is their go-to guy, their leader in the locker room, and an All-NBA kind of talent yet to reach his prime.
That’s what makes the latter a much more valuable trade asset, especially in a perimeter-oriented league. So, with Mitchell likely on his way out, Marc Berman says the Miami Heat could be a logical suitor for his services.
NBA Rumors: Miami Heat Could Trade For Donovan Mitchell
(Transcript via The New York Post)
“Mitchell was asked a different way about the rumors he might want to leave Salt Lake City.
‘My mindset is to win,’ he said. ‘Right now, I’m not really looking at that. I answered (the first) question, and you could take that. But for me, I just want to win, yo. Like, this hurts. And like I said, I’ll think about it in a week and go from there. But right now, I’m not thinking at all about that.’
Nothing definitive about wanting to honor the three years and $98 million left on his pact. Post Sports+ reported earlier this month that Dwyane Wade, a minority Jazz owner, could play a big role in whether Mitchell is content to stay in Salt Lake City.
Miami has been mentioned by league sources as a smart landing spot for Mitchell with Wade’s strong connections to his beloved Heat. However, Knicks president Leon Rose was Wade’s agent in the later stages of the guard’s career. Rose postponed his start with the Knicks to arrange Wade’s retirement ceremony in Miami.”
There has been some rambling around the league about Jimmy Butler potentially asking for a trade if the Heat don’t go far in the playoffs this season, and Pat Riley has enough assets to pull the trigger.
But even if the Heat don’t wind up making a move for the Louisville product, expect multiple teams to reach out to the Jazz and his name to be thrown around in trade rumors throughout the whole offseason.
SURVEY Who should the Jazz trade?
Who should the Jazz trade?
ALREADY VOTED 53 PEOPLE