Rumors around a departure of Donovan Mitchell to New York continue to swell and the coming offseason could well be animated by this file. A US media took the opportunity to submit a first trade scenario… which would see no less than nine players go to Utah, in exchange for Spida!
4ᵉ in the West with 39 wins for 23 losses, the Jazz still have every chance of getting home advantage at the start of the playoffs. A year after the cruel disappointment of the second round against the Clippers, Quin Snyder’s men seem to have digested the events well and want to do battle again during the post-season. For this, they can notably side on their duo Donovan Mitchell-Rud Gobert, in great shape this season.
However, that does not mean that everything is perfect in Utah, especially in the case of Spida. First, beef rumors between him and The Stifle Tower continue to swirl, even though irefuted it all recently. Moreover, the repeated premature failures of his franchise would begin to frustrate him according to some observers, he who intends to get a ring. As a result, it’s no surprise that we start to talk about it, and New York comes up most often in the conversation.
Donovan Mitchell traded for Julius Randle?
The Knicks are going through a very disappointing campaign (12ᵉ in the East) and must now manage a failed summer recruitment. Add to that a Julius Randle with an all but irreproachable attitude and the situation in the Big Apple looks like a powder keg. And precisely, the Daily Knicks thinks that a deal between the two competitors could solve the problem. This one would see the fullback switch conferences, while the New Yorkers get rid of their troubled interior along with a host of other assets:
- The Knicks receive : Donovan Mitchell
- The Jazz receives : Julius Randle, Immanuel Quickley, Cam Reddish, three first-round picks and three second-round picks
The price may seem quite exorbitant, but remember that NY has hardly demonstrated its talents during the draft in recent years. Apart from RJ Barrett, there are few players trained by the franchise, which uses its status as a big market more for shopping. Reddish meanwhile has been an enigma since arriving at Madison Square Garden and has played little under Tom Thibodeau. Some already suspect that he is leaving the team this summer.
As for the Jazz, the loss of Mitchell would leave a fairly gaping hole in position 2, but Quin Snyder would then have a very big racket with Randle and Gobert. The first is an attack specialist and can play the distributors, enough to perfectly complement the triple DPOY who knows how to finish near the circle perfectly. Quickley would be an interesting addition on the bench. And then, unlike their opponents, the Mormons know very well how to select nuggets in the draft…
Of course, nothing says that Utah is ready to let go of its leading scorer during the offseason. If his relationship with Rudy Gobert were to deteriorate further, however, and the franchise does not go far in the playoffs, it will inevitably come back on the table…
