The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly candidates to become part of a deal involving Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell.
Marc Stein offered some insight on the matter.
“If the [New York] Knicks manage to win the trade race for Utah’s Donovan Mitchell, or even if another team unexpectedly beats them to Mitchell, league sources say there’s a decent chance that the Lakers will be involved in the deal,” Stein wrote. “The two future first-round picks that the Lakers possess in 2027 and 2029 are the kind of top-shelf draft picks that Jazz CEO Danny Ainge is believed to covet. Russell Westbrook’s $47 million expiring contract and those picks could be the Lakers’ entree to a potential three-team swap … depending on the players that would land in Los Angeles.”
Mitchell’s status with the Jazz has been subject to plenty of speculation, though it was reported last month that he isn’t going to force a trade.
However, the Jazz’s trade of center Rudy Gobert earlier this offseason appeared to indicate a possible rebuilding project. That trade came after another disappointing playoff appearance for the franchise.
Speculation about a possible Mitchell trade grew even more last month when a report surfaced about Ainge’s misgivings regarding the guard’s ability to be the face of a contending franchise.
As noted by Stein, the Knicks have been prominently mentioned as the leading team when it comes to a possible deal for Mitchell. Fellow NBA insider Shams Charania recently indicated that the Jazz are continuing to talk with the Knicks.
"Both sides have continued discussions."@ShamsCharania gives an update on a possible Donovan Mitchell/Knicks trade pic.twitter.com/GGTiVdxdLN
— Stadium (@Stadium) August 27, 2022
It’s interesting to think about how the Lakers could get involved in a potential Mitchell deal. They’re surely open to anything that would improve their roster.
Last year, Westbrook’s acquisition from the Washington Wizards was seen as a key move in potentially helping the Lakers get back to the NBA Finals. However, problems involving Westbrook’s ability to fit into the team’s starting lineup quickly surfaced.
Those problems, coupled with key injuries to Anthony Davis and LeBron James, resulted in the Lakers’ championship hopes crashing to the ground. Instead of competing for a title, the team endured the humiliation of missing the postseason entirely.
In his five seasons as a member of the Jazz, Mitchell has averaged solid all-around numbers of 23.9 points, 4.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.
Exactly how the Mitchell sweepstakes turn out is anyone’s guess. Another guessing game is how the Lakers might be able to work their way into any such deal.
