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In a shocking turn of events, the Brooklyn Nets are interested in acquiring three-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz.
After trading their 3-time Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert, to the Minnesota Timberwolves, they have made the other half of their soon-to-be former star duo available for trade. According to Matt Severance of SportsLine, the Nets have the fourth best odds (+800) to land Mitchell, behind the New York Knicks, Miami Heat, and Toronto Raptors.
Here is the complete list of odds on Mitchell’s next team per SportsLine:
- Knicks Even
- Heat +350
- Raptors +500
- Nets +800
- Pelicans +900
- Celtics +1000
- Cavaliers +1100
- Kings +1200
- Lakers +1500
- Warriors +2000
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Nets Face ‘Big Hurdle’ in Acquiring Mitchell
One high-ranking NBA executive told Heavy’s own Sean Deveney that the Nets front office has quietly been keeping an eye on Donovan Mitchell’s situation in Utah. Ian Begley of SNY also confirmed the Nets’ interest in the Jazz star. However, Begley notes that to get Mitchell to Brooklyn, the Nets would have to convince a team to take on the max contract of Ben Simmons.
“Earlier in the free agency period, several teams monitoring the Mitchell situation saw the Heat as the favorite to land him via trade. But Brooklyn has interest in landing Mitchell as well,” Begley writes.
“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. So there is a big hurdle for the Nets to clear in any acquisition of Mitchell.”
The executive also told Deveney that any trade for Mitchell will be a ‘mega deal’, and notes that the favorite Knicks are in a great position to land the All-Star guard.
“I think, however it shakes out exactly, you are going to see a mega-deal. You know, earth-shattering, four maybe five teams and some big, big names,” the executive added. “The Knicks are in a great position because they have picks coming in from Detroit and Washington, protected picks but they’re valuable. That is most likely, we’ll have to see, but most likely where Mitchell goes.”
Nets Would Welcome Back Durant & Irving
While they may have the fourth best odds, there is a clear advantage that Nets owner Joe Tsai and general manager Sean Marks hold over their rivals in the bidding war for Mitchell. They have already done business with the Jazz this offseason in the trade that brought forward Royce O’Neale to Brooklyn. And with two disgruntled stars of their own in KD and Kyrie, the Nets could be great trade partners for the Jazz .
The Nets are still navigating their way through free agency. Begley notes that if they cannot offload Durant and Kyrie this offseason, they are comfortable with them being on the roster at the start of training camp.
“Obviously, Brooklyn is also busy with potential trades of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The Nets obviously haven’t found an offer that meets their asking price for either player yet,” Begley writes.
“Brooklyn, sources confirm, would be comfortable with both Durant and Irving back on the roster for training camp if no deal materializes before then.”
When the dust finally settles, the Jazz could end up being the Nets’ strongest ally during the 2022 offseason. After acquiring O’Neale, it was the Rudy Gobert trade that landed Utah a massive amount of first-round picks from the Timberwolves that allowed Brooklyn to increase the asking price for Durant. Acquiring Mitchell could be the icing on the cake.
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