Jazz Rebuild: How Many Draft Picks are Needed in a Donovan Mitchell Trade?
The buzz from NBA insiders suggests that a deal between the Utah Jazz and New York Knicks involving All-Star Donovan Mitchell is expected to be consummated before the start of the 2022-23 season.
Everything seems to be on track for a full rebuild for the Jazz, and the first phase of that process began with the Rudy Gobert trade. Trading Mitchell will set off a full fire sale of remaining assets and stockpile draft picks to reshape a new future.
The Gobert trade may have been controversial by media and fans alike but make no mistake, it set a precedent for returns on an All-Star talent. Recent reports suggest that Jazz executive Danny Ainge is demanding even more in return for Mitchell.
At the current rate of transactions, the Jazz could be sitting on a gold mine of draft picks that will help build their future. But how will such a stockpile serve the team?
Let’s take a look at where the Jazz stand relative to draft ammunition and where they have room to expand into the 2029 draft according to
Round 1
- 2023: Own; Least favorable of BRK, HOU, and PHL (via HOU swap for BRK; via PHL to BRK); MIN
- 2024: 1-10 Own; 11-30 to OKC
- 2025: 1-10 Own; 11-30 to OKC if not already settled; MIN
- 2026: 1-8 Own or swap for MIN; 9-30 to OKC if not already settled; or Own or swap for MIN if UTH has conveyed 1st round pick to OKC by 2025
- 2027: Own; MIN
- 2028: Own
- 2029: Own; MIN 6-30
Round 2
- 2023: To CHA (via NYK)
- 2024: More favorable of UTH and CLE to NYK; more favorable of (i) IND and (ii) less favorable of CLE and UTH to MEM then other to IND (via UTH swap for CLE; via MIL to MEM)
- 2025: Own
- 2026: Own; MEM 31-42
- 2027: To IND (via CLE)
- 2028: To OKC
- 2029: Own; MIN if MIN does not convey 1st round pick to UTH in 2029
What it Means
The Jazz do have their picks protected from 2024-2026 but adding more first-round assets in these years would ensure more flexibility during a possible rebuild. The Jazz also have three first-rounders in the upcoming 2023 draft, which is loaded with talent, so stockpiling more draft picks from 2024-2026 would give the team the flexibility to move picks around to position themselves for the best-projected haul.
The Jazz front office doesn't seem rushed to agree to a Mitchell deal, but reports continue to posture Utah as expecting a bigger haul than the Gobert trade. Another four-to-six first-round draft picks in the coming years could position the Jazz for ultimate flexibility in the potential rebuild.
Optimistically, based on the track record of how the organization engineers its rebuilds and develops talent from the past, the Jazz should be back to a consistent norm. A stockpile of draft picks will allow Jazz head coach Will Hardy to engineer a team from scratch and also use those draft picks in the future to trade for talent that fits that system.
Follow Andrew on Twitter @ArembaczNBA.
