Getty Donovan Mitchell and Bam Adebayo greet one another following a game between the Utah Jazz and the Miami Heat at FTX Arena.
Before Kevin Durant‘s left-field trade request at the start of free agency, rumors of Donovan Mitchell potentially joining the Miami Heat were all the rage. It stands to reason, too — the Jazz star is a good friend of Heat legend Dwyane Wade and Miami’s organizational excellence always manages to catch the roving eyes of big-time ballers.
However, the hopes that Mitchell could be South Beach-bound were seemingly dashed on Wednesday when The Athletic’s Tony Jones and Shams Charania reported that Utah was deep into negotiations with the Knicks on a possible swap.
There’s no surprise there, either. Although the Heat have some cards in their hands where enticing Jazz decision-maker Danny Ainge is concerned, New York has more to offer in the way of draft assets and intriguing young players than just about any team in the Association.
According to a new report out of Salt Lake City, though, there are some within the Jazz power structure that are actually more enamored with what the Heat have to sell.
Some Jazz People Prefer Herro to Knicks Star?
In the wake of The Athletic’s bombshell on the Mitchell-Knicks situation, The Salt Lake Tribune‘s Andy Larsen dropped a piece compiling his own intel on the various trade scenarios that are out there.
And while his sources confirmed that negotiations between the Knicks and Jazz were advancing, he also indicated that other teams remain in the mix, led by the Heat. He further reported that there were people within Ainge’s brain trust that preferred Miami’s Tyler Herro to New York’s RJ Barrett as part of a return package.
Wrote Larsen:
At least one voice in the Jazz’s front office prefers Herro as a return to Barrett, according to a source.
Essentially, Herro’s likelihood of being a cheaper contract moving forward and his more advanced shooting stroke are reasons for optimism…
The Jazz beat writer maintained that New York has more to work with where plucking Mitchell is concerned, but the adoration of Herro among some (one?) in Utah’s front office may offer hope that the Heat have something to swoop in with if the Knicks talks fall apart.
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Herro Happy to Go to Salt Lake City
Some have joked that Herro would rather retire than find himself playing in Salt Lake City, and there’s no doubting that the place has a reputation. During the 2017 NBA Playoffs, former Heat forward Andre Iguodala — then of the Warriors — and teammate Matt Barnes famously didn’t want to face the Jazz in Round 2 because of SLC’s ho-hum nightlife.
Whether their notion of the place was accurate or not, Herro apparently has no qualms about checking it out for himself.
“A source with knowledge of Herro’s thinking says he’s more optimistic about the potential marriage — especially one in which he’d play a greater role than in Miami,” added Larsen.
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Some Within Jazz Have Preference for Heat Star in Mitchell Trade: Insider