Getty Donovan Mitchell, Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics might have one of the deepest guard rotations in the NBA, but that didn’t stop their fans from hitting the recruitment trail on Tuesday, July 12, following Donovan Mitchell’s comment on a Jaylen Brown tweet.
@FCHWPO Yes Jaylen…
For such a simple exchange between two players who are widely known to be off-court friends, Celtics fans took Mitchell’s comment section in a bid to recruit him to Boston – something they’ve long since pined for.
@FCHWPO @spidadmitchell The prophecy
As you would expect, there were the usual “come to Boston” replies, along with some jersey swap images, and the occasional rebuttal to the notion that Mitchell would improve the Celtics – primarily due to his poor defensive upside.
“Boston bound,” Twitter user @jaytatum000 replied.
“Spida to Boston,” @luc_most replied.
@spidadmitchell @FCHWPO Yes Donovan
“We play defense in Boston… ask @FCHWPO one of the better on-ball defenders in the league good sir…. let the man cook in Boston and find your own team,” @AbominableSnowO noted in the comments section.
Utah Make Mitchell Available for Trade
On July 12, ESPN’S Adrian Wojnarowski sent shockwaves throughout the NBA, putting every team in the league on alert, as he reported that Utah is willing to listen to trade packages for Mitchell.
After previously shutting down inquiries on moving All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, rival teams say the Utah Jazz are showing a willingness to listen on possible trade scenarios, sources tell ESPN.
“After Utah earlier shut down inquiries about All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, rival teams say the Jazz are now showing a willingness to listen on possible trade scenarios, sources told ESPN on Tuesday. The asking price appears to be steep, but in the wake of Utah’s recent Rudy Gobert blockbuster deal to Minnesota, the Jazz are no longer simply dismissing calls on Mitchell, sources said,” Wojnarowski wrote for ESPN.
Mitchell ended last season with averages of 25.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 35.5% from the perimeter and 44.8% from the field. Those statistics saw the New York native named to the 2022 NBA All-Star game, marking his third appearance as an All-Star since entering the league as the 13th overall pick in the 2017 draft.
However, it’s worth noting that Mitchell is entering the second year of his $163 million contract, where he is scheduled to earn $30 million, so, any team that is interested in acquiring him via trade will need to ensure they can match his salary along with putting together a package that’s good enough to entice the Jazz into making the trade.
Is Jaylen Brown Disrespected in Boston
Since Kevin Durant made it clear that he wants to be traded away from the Brooklyn Nets, Jaylen Brown has found his name floated in trade rumors. Sure, those rumors are coming from fans and media rather than the Celtics front office, but there’s every reason to believe the star wing feels disrespected – something he alluded to by liking a tweet on June 26.
So, it’s worth asking whether the addition of Mitchell would make Brown feel expendable, or whether he would be the makeweight in a potential deal – at which point Boston should hang up the phone.
According to Chris Mannix, Brown has been treated unfairly during his time in Boston, having been booed on draft night and then floated in trade rumors for multiple stars.
“All this stuff about him being disrespected [by the Celtics] I think is crazy.”
Should Jaylen Brown feel disrespected? @Keefe21 responds to @SIChrisMannix‘s comments on BST last night 👀
“History suggests that Jaylen Brown has not always been treated fairly in this city. If you go back to the year he was drafted, his selection was booed on draft night by a fanbase that wanted the Celtics to draft Kris Dunn. He has been included in every trade rumor the Celtics have been connected to, from Kawhi Leonard to Anthony Davis, and now Kevin Durant. So, I wouldn’t fault Jaylen Brown, one bit, for feeling some type of way,” Mannix explained during a July 7 appearance on NBC Sports Boston.
As such, let’s hope that Boston stays out of the Donovan Mitchell sweepstakes and that Brown’s name is kept out of trade any potential trade rumors – after all, he was arguably Boston’s best player against the Golden State Warriors in the finals, so you want to keep him around for as long as possible.