Nets Have ‘Explored’ Trade for Disgruntled Western Conference Superstar

Getty Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz in action against Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets have been widely on the end of rumors to deal away their two superstars, but recent news has them with interest in taking aways a possibly disgruntled superstar from the Utah Jazz. Now it seems after the Utah Jazz pulled off a trade to send Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a haul of picks and Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley, Jarret Vanderbilt, and picks Walker Kessler and Leandro Bolmaro that the tension between Gobert and Donovan Mitchell would be over and Utah would retain their three-time All-Star guard, right? Not exactly. 

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst commented saying, “Talking to league executives who saw some of this coming, they think it would be abnormal for Donovan [Mitchell] to not want out at this point. There are teams out there who are now revving up the possibility of calling Utah.”

All signs suggest that Danny Ainge is preparing for a rebuild in Utah, it is hard to see who they can turn those draft picks into to bring another star to team up with Mitchell this season. So it may be time to trade Mitchell too and build for the future if you’re the Jazz. Over the weekend, it was rumored that the Nets have expressed interest in bringing Mitchell to Brooklyn to team back up with his friend Royce O’Neale. 

Nets Interest in Donovan Mitchell

On July 2, Jacob Eisenburg shared some of the league chatter he is hearing. 

“Some NBA chatter I’ve heard in last 36 hours: – Suns, Raps, & Clips are 3 most likely destinations for KD. BUT… Nets don’t love Ayton & are wary of pairing Barnes w Simmons. – Nets would be interested in D. Mitchell, even if it means they have to trade Simmons elsewhere,” Eisenberg tweeted. 

He also added that a four-team trade involving Mitchell going to Brooklyn has been discussed but is unlikely to get done with that many teams involved. 

“A Donovan Mitchell/Mikal Bridges/Myles Turner/Chris Duarte/Cam Johnson + picks return for KD (to PHX) & Simmons (to IND) was a funky 4-team concept floated, w Ayton + picks to Utah. Deals this fun NEVER get done, but some interesting/surprising routes teams have explored,” Eisenberg continued.

Now it is important to mention it is hard to tell how truly plugged in Eisenburg is. He is the community lead of NBA top shot and Dapper Labs, both NFT companies, and if you are following the market of NFTs right now those may not be someone’s ideas you want to put capital into right now. He often floats wild trade scenarios out from his verified Twitter page. How legit this ‘chatter’ remains a mystery, but it’s hard to believe the Nets wouldn’t be interested in a Mitchell trade, especially with Mitchell’s New York routes. 

Durant Trade Updates

Before any move would be made on the Mitchell front, the Durant situation would need to be figured out, one can assume. The Nets continue to field calls from over a dozen teams interested in finding a deal to acquire the Slim Reaper. The five teams said to have the most to offer are the Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, and the Toronto Raptors. Whether a deal gets done may not be seen until after the Holiday weekend but expect teams to go all-in for the Nets superstar.