Why a Donovan Mitchell trade is so important for the Los Angeles Lakers
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Lakers currently have a roster that is not fit for a championship run. However, since the team has LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the roster, it is not going to simply blow things up like the Utah Jazz seem to be doing after trading Rudy Gobert and shopping Donovan Mitchell.
Mitchell trade talks seemed to stall after an initial flurry but have since picked back up. According to Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic, the Jazz and New York Knicks have re-engaged in trade talks for the star guard.
New York seems to be the most logical fit for Mitchell and while the Lakers are not in the Mitchell market, a potential trade should be music to the team’s ears. A Mitchell trade happening is extremely important for the Lakers and their quest of winning a championship in 2023.
Why a Donovan Mitchell trade is so important for the Los Angeles Lakers:
There are two reasons why a Donovan Mitchell trade is huge for LA with two different routes that could lead to the Lakers being a better basketball team next season.
1. A Donovan Mitchell trade could unclog the trade market jam
The first way this could help the Lakers is simply by helping a Kyrie Irving trade come to fruition. A Kyrie Irving trade will not happen until a Kevin Durant trade happens, which as of right now, is taking longer than Lakers fans hoped for.
While the Knicks don’t seem to be in the market for KD, a Mitchell trade and seeing the subsequent price could unclog the market for Durant, giving the Nets a better picture of what he is actually worth in a trade.
As we often see in the NBA, big moves can come in bunches and when Mitchell is traded the chances of Durant being traded soon after do increase.
2. The Los Angeles Lakers could get involved in a Donovan Mitchell trade
The second way this could help the Lakers is by the team directly getting involved in the trade with the Knicks and Jazz. New York is going to send a hearty amount of draft picks to the Jazz for Mitchell but the team still needs to send the proper contracts as well.
Because of Mitchell’s salary, the Knicks would have to ship off a package of Julius Randle and probably Evan Fournier. Both of those contracts are for multiple years and a rebuilding team like the Jazz have no reason to want multi-year contracts that they are tied down to.
Instead, it makes a lot more sense for the Jazz to get an expiring, save money in the future and even potentially pick up a draft pick in the process. Thus, there is potential for the Lakers to attach Westbrook in the trade to go to Utah for the cost of acquiring Randle and Fournier.
LA probably has to send a first-round pick to facilitate this but that is cheaper than the two potential firsts that the team would have to send for Irving.