The Utah Jazz just pulled the trigger on a monster Rudy Gobert trade, sending him to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a blockbuster package that features four first-round picks. Three of those picks are fully unprotected, and there's reportedly a pick swap as well in there plus five players: Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Walker Kessler, Patrick Beverley and Leandro Bolmaro. The question everybody is wondering now is if Donovan Mitchell will be traded next or if the Jazz will try to build around him.
While ESPN's Brian Windhorst seemed to hint even before the Gobert trade a full blowup could be a possibility, the answer, at least for now, appears to be a retooling effort around Mitchell:
The Jazz gathered six first-round picks in the past 24 hours, including 7-footer Walker Kessler, the 22nd overall pick in the 2022 Draft. The Jazz plan to retool the roster around All-Star G Donovan Mitchell.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022
League sources: For now, there are no plans by the Utah Jazz to trade star guard Donovan Mitchell. The Jazz are committed to building around him. The Jazz are not done in trade talks. Expect more activity
— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) July 1, 2022
In addition to the Gobert trade, the Jazz dealt Royce O'Neale to the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday for a first-round pick, so they're really stacking up assets. If they really wanted to, they could trade Mitchell for another haul and tank for another French big man in Victor Wembanyama in the 2023 NBA Draft, but it doesn't look like they want to do that.
Instead, it appears Utah will use these assets in an attempt to build around Mitchell. There are already rumors of interest in Deandre Ayton, who would certainly be a capable replacement for Gobert. Ayton isn't quite the dominant defensive force Gobert is on the interior, but he's still good in his own right with more offensive upside at just 24 years old.
The Jazz could get really crazy and try to use all these assets to get Kevin Durant, but Durant might not be too happy about that. Either way, Utah doesn't want to trade Mitchell, though the All-Star guard could have something to say about that. If Mitchell wants out, teams like the New York Knicks and Miami Heat have been rumored as popular destinations.
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