Donovan Mitchell

By dealing away Rudy Gobert, the Utah Jazz suddenly find themselves with a trove of future assets. They now have two paths they can take in regards to their future.

They could either use that collection of picks and players to build around the remaining half of their former star tandem in Donovan Mitchell, or they could flip Spida for a similarly loaded package to launch a full-on rebuild with a massive head start in terms of assets.

Originally, Jazz President Danny Ainge indicated that he had every intention to build around his high-flying superstar shooting guard. After a few weeks of quiet — and likely lack of monumental trade offers — Ainge accepted that teams had called his bluff and made Mitchell officially available in discussions.

It’s been reported that the New York Knicks and the Utah Jazz have engaged in some pretty serious conversations about a deal for Spida, but there’s been a recent stalemate in terms of asking price.

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Donovan Mitchell & Utah Jazz Updates

Ainge and the Knicks have differing opinions over how many unprotected first-round picks should be included on New York’s side. Utah might not budge considering they they nabbed three unprotected firsts from the T-Wolves for Gobert.

On the other hand, the fact that their talks have escalated to this point has made it clear that Ainge’s ultimate goal is to tear the Utah Jazz down to the studs and rebuild the team in his vision with a slew of draft picks and hand-picked young players.

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Donovan Mitchell & Utah Jazz Updates

Eventually, one team is going to fold, making Donovan Mitchell the most likely superstar to be next dealt.