Utah Jazz seems ready to test the trade market for Donovan Mitchell after successfully dealing with the All-Star center Rudy Gobert two weeks ago. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, they are exploring a mega deal for the young guard, who is just entering his prime. The young lad had signed a five years contract with the jazz in 2020. Currently, Mitchell has four years left on his current deal and has a player option for the 2025–26 season. Mitchell is also owed an additional $133 million during the contract.
According to the league sources, the Celtics are not expected to be interested in exploring a deal for Mitchel, given the hefty price tag and their offseason moves. Meanwhile, several Eastern Conference rivals are anticipated, exploring ways for the young guard. Let’s examine some of the possible scenarios on that front and what they might represent for the Celtics.
Miami appears to be the strongest East team in the running for Mitchell. They might not have the resources to trade Kevin Durant, but they have enough intriguing young talent that they can use to make a deal, including Tyler Herro. So, they are the ones who can provide a great deal for Mitchell’s landing.
However, several Eastern teams have spent their resources in separate deals on star players this Summer, Including Atlanta, Minnesota, etc. But the ideal scenario for the Celtics is a lower-level East team, running for the high-scoring guard, such as the Knicks. A deal from the Knicks will prevent the Miami Heat from fully rebuilding their team with another star acquisition.
Meanwhile, on the other hand, Jazz will go into completely rebuilding mode If they decide to trade their point guard, as the team will likely have any available to fill his spot. Given Boston’s offseason moves, Utah has a lot of mid-level contracts that probably do not fit in well, including Malik Beasley, Jordan Clarkson, and Patrick Beverley. However, Boston could count on Jarred Vanderbilt if Jazz is willing to trade him for more future assets. He is less expensive and a perfect fit according to Celtics conditions, as he makes $4.3 million annually with a contract of just two years.
Mitchell stays or leaves, either way, Danny Ainge might decide to start over in Utah and attempt to rebuild a playoff contender from scratch.
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