After Rudy Gobert Trade, Should Magic Pursue Donovan Mitchell?
ORLANDO - The NBA world is still processing the Minnesota Timberwolves' trade with the Utah Jazz to acquire former three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.
It cost the Wolves a king's ransom to acquire Gobert ... Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Leandro Bolmaro, Walker Kessler, Jarred Vanderbilt, and four first-round picks (and a pick swap) to Utah.
Now that Utah has traded one star without getting one in return, is Donovan Mitchell next to say goodbye? And is the Orlando Magic a possible suitor?
With a roster full of young talent, along with several picks in upcoming drafts, the Magic possess a ton of trade assets that could entice Utah to make a deal.
Mitchell signed a four-year, $135 million dollar contract extension last off-season and is due roughly $30 million this season.
While the Magic have the cap space to take on Mitchell’s contract alone, they’d likely construct a package to stay at their current cap level.
This deal could include the likes of Jonathan Isaac and Wendell Carter Jr. who are owed $17 and $14 million respectively, along with a younger player such as Cole Anthony or Jalen Suggs. With the draft picks thrown in, the deal looks like this:
The Magic give up two picks that belong to other teams and only give up two of their own picks that don't convey until 5+ years from now.
Then, the starting lineup would look like ...
Markelle Fultz, Donovan Mitchell, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Mo Bamba
Coming off the bench ...
Cole Anthony, RJ Hampton, Gary Harris, Chuma Okeke, Mo Wagner
It's a steep price, but one that's worth it for Mitchell.
A two-time All-Star over his first five seasons, Mitchell has proven to be one of the most prolific scorers in the league posting career averages of 23.9 points, while shooting 44 percent from the field and 36 percent from beyond the arc.
Not only is he a juggernaut on the offensive side of the ball, Mitchell would provide veteran leadership, along with a track record of playing unbelievable basketball in the playoffs.
According to The Athletic, the Jazz want to retool around Mitchell, but another question posed now is whether Mitchell wants to retool a team around him in Utah.
