Getty Is Donovan Mitchell leaving the Jazz?
With news that Donovan Mitchell is on the trade market, it’s no surprise the Brooklyn Nets are getting involved considering they have their own roster upheaval going on.
Kevin Durant requested a trade from Brooklyn, and it’s expected that would include shipping Kyrie Irving out of town as well, so there will be many new faces on the roster next season.
Mitchell would be a nice piece to get in return for a trade, but it’s not likely the Jazz would be interested in Irving or Durant if they want to get started on a rebuild.
Besides, the Nets have a big roadblock that would be preventing any sort of trade and that’s Ben Simmons.
Teams can’t have more than one player on a designated rookie max extension, and that’s what both Simmons and Mitchell are on. That would mean the Nets would have to include Simmons in a deal for Mitchell, or they’d have to get a third team involved to take Simmons.
This could be the roadblock that is slowing down the market for Durant too because it stops a trade with the Warriors that would send Andrew Wiggins to Brooklyn.
Mitchell Not Looking Likely
SNY’s Ian Begley reports the Nets do indeed have interest in Mitchell, but it will be difficult for them to pull off because of Simmons.
“But Brooklyn has interest in landing Mitchell as well,” he wrote. “To acquire Mitchell via trade, the Nets would have to move Ben Simmons. Teams cannot trade for two players who have signed max rookie extensions.”
The cross-town rivals New York Knicks have a much more enticing package they can put together with a selection of young talent and draft picks they have hoarded, so it’s more likely he’ll end up there than with Brooklyn.
Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney has also reported Brooklyn’s interest in Mitchell, but it would be difficult to pull off if Durant is still on the roster.
“They’d like to get him to Brooklyn themselves but it could be just too hard to do unless they have a Durant deal first, one that brings in a ton of picks and that is still a tough one,” an executive told Deveney. “But they can move on Kyrie. I think we’ve seen these possibilities developing.”
Tough Spot
When the Nets traded for Ben Simmons last season, it was expected that he’d form a star trio with Durant and Irving to start this next year, but those plans went off the rails fast.
Somehow, Simmons might find himself to be the lone star standing in Brooklyn provided he’s not shipped out of town as well.
There doesn’t seem to be much traction on potential Durant trades around the league at the moment, and it’s tough to tell what will happen next. Durant coming back to the Nets next season can’t be ruled out entirely, no matter how awkward that’d be for both sides.
Durant’s age might be a big factor in a trade as he’s 33 years old, but he has still shown he’s still at the top of his game.
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