The Utah Jazz sent shockwaves through the NBA when they traded Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was a deal that they couldn’t say no to, as Minnesota traded them three unprotected first-round picks in 2023, 2025 and 2027 with a top-five protected pick in 2029. There is also a pick swap in there.
If you include Walker Kessler, the No. 22 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, the Timberwolves parted ways with five first-round picks to land Gobert, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year. Receiving that many selections for a 30-year-old center is a deal that no team would turn down.
The Gobert blockbuster was actually the second trade of the week by the Jazz. On Thursday, they traded Royce O’Neale to the Brooklyn Nets for a 2023 first-round pick. It will come from either the Nets, Houston Rockets or Philadelphia 76ers, depending on which is the least favorable of the bunch.
That raised a lot of questions about what the team’s plan was this offseason. Are they going into a full-on rebuild? Did they compile assets to rebuild the team around Donovan Mitchell, taking one step back to hopefully take multiple steps forward in the near future?
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Utah Jazz Committed To Donovan Mitchell After Rudy Gobert Trade
While the Jazz is reportedly committed to Mitchell following the Gobert trade, executives around the league are not sure how committed to Utah Mitchell is. They are still preparing for him to request a trade at some point soon.
There have been rumors swirling for months that Mitchell could eventually request a trade with the Miami Heat and New York Knicks topping that list. But, acquiring him will assuredly not be cheap. Seeing what the 30-year-old Gobert received in a trade, the soon-to-be 26-year-old Mitchell will likely fetch at least that much, if not more.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Utah Jazz Committed To Donovan Mitchell After Rudy Gobert Trade
It will be a situation to monitor as teams around the league are focused on the Kevin Durant situation right now. Once that is complete, they could change their focus to Mitchell, which would be a solid consolation prize for anyone who strikes out on Durant.
