Donovan Mitchell

The Utah Jazz may be off to an unexpectedly strong start to the 2022-23 NBA season. However, the franchise's offseason suggests that Utah is looking to build for the future.

Over the summer, the Jazz traded star center Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves and dealt standout guard Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Royce O'Neale was sent to the Brooklyn Nets. The message those moves sent was clear. Utah is focused on winning in the long term, not this season.

Yet when it comes to one remaining player, guard Jordan Clarkson, the Jazz appear unwilling to deal.

"I’ve heard the same stuff that other people have reported, that they are just super reluctant to move Clarkson," ESPN's Zach Lowe said on his Lowe Post podcast. ”They’re really fond of him for whatever reason so I would peg him as the least likely of all these Jazz guys to get traded."

This is a stance that Utah must change as it looks to build a perennial contender beyond 2022. As Tony Jones of The Athletic noted, Utah's plan is to take as many swings at the draft as possible.

"What the Jazz have done for themselves better than the last rebuild is give themselves more bites at the apple," Jones wrote. "It can't be stated enough how important it is to essentially control the draft of two teams for five consecutive years."

While trades to the Timberwolves, Nets and Cavaliers might not yield lottery picks—Utah's selection alone will give the Jazz a shot at Victor Wembanyama, if they don't keep winning—but it can bring in long-term pieces of the franchise.

The 30-year-old Clarkson is not that. He's been valuable early this year—he averaged 18.8 points while shooting over 40 percent from three-point range heading into Friday's game—but he may not be long for the franchise.

Clarkson has a player option for the 2023-24 season and may not want any part of the rebuilding process. If the Jazz don't want to risk losing Clarkson for nothing, they must move him before February's trade deadline.

And the Jazz can likely get something of value for the Missouri product. Earlier this month, Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer reported that the Phoenix Suns have eyed Clarkson in a potential Jae Crowder deal.

"Clarkson, one of the many veterans thought to be available in Utah, is one dynamic guard the Suns have inquired about landing in exchange for Crowder, sources said," Fischer wrote.

Fischer believes that a Crowder trade could result in him receiving a buyout from the Jazz. In that scenario, the Suns would almost certainly include some enticing draft compensation to facilitate the deal.

Clarkson could also be a centerpiece in a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers. According to The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor, L.A. was close to offloading Russell Westbrook to the Jazz before Utah sent Bojan Bogdanović to the Detroit Pistons.

Per O'Connor, the Lakers and Jazz could re-engage in trade talks this season:

"Utah has been connected to the Lakers for months, too. League sources say that before the Jazz sent Bojan Bogdanovic to the Pistons, the Lakers offered Westbrook, a future first-round pick, and second-rounders for Bogdanovic and others. Sources expect the Lakers and Jazz to resume talks later in the season with some combination of other players discussed. (Utah has Jordan Clarkson, Mike Conley, and Rudy Gay—three veterans who can all shoot.)"

Would the Jazz take on Westbrook for a partial season in order to obtain more future draft capital? Given the team's rebuilding plan, it would make sense. Given the fact that Clarkson could walk next spring anyway, making him available would also be logical.

And perhaps Utah is open to dealing Clarkson, only privately. Perhaps the Jazz are feigning reluctance in an effort to maximize his trade value. Theoretically, they'll get a bigger return by showcasing Clarkson in a prominent role early than by representing him as a trade chip.

When it comes time to actually flip the switch on a deal, however, Clarkson shouldn't be off-limits. The Jazz may be stringing together some wins now, but their success is highly unlikely to last all season. Their future success may depend on their ability to turn aging role players like Clarkson into young cornerstones of the franchise.

In March 2020, the world changed because of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, who was a member of the Utah Jazz at the time, recently opened up about his experience when the pandemic started.

Mitchell revealed to JJ Redick on The Old Man and The Three podcast that he was not happy with former teammate Rudy Gobert after they both tested positive for COVID-19:

"I was angry. Not gonna lie to you. I would say out of all of the media reports that have ever come out about me, Rudy and the team, that was probably the most accurate. I was mad. I thought, I thought at the time, because we didn't know, I thought because Rudy was around doing whatever that that was the reason I got it. Now, we don't know. I could've given it to him without contact. Like, whatever, whatever it was, we don't know now looking back at it."

Mitchell has a unique perspective because Gobert, who is now with the Minnesota Timberwolves, was the first NBA player to test positive for COVID-19 and prompted the league to shut down. Mitchell later tested positive himself, which led to multiple players and team reporters being quarantined while the Jazz were in Oklahoma City for a game against the Thunder.

Prior to his positive test, Gobert notably made light of the situation when he touched all of the microphones at a press conference. He apologized for his behavior, saying in an Instagram post, "I was careless and make no excuse."

The night Gobert had tested positive, the Jazz were forced to remain in the Oklahoma City locker room for nine hours, according to Mitchell. There were a lot of unknowns regarding the coronavirus, so Mitchell said the team did its best to not panic. Thankfully, Mitchell said veteran point guard Chris Paul had sent over 15 bottles of wine to the locker room.

Mitchell explained that the immediate response to his positive test made him feel like he was under a microscope. He had made recent appearances at the Adidas headquarters, a high school and a casino, and all of those places were forced to close immediately.

"They shut down a lot of places just because I was around, and that's when I felt like the world was just watching me and Rudy at one point," he said.

Both Mitchell and Gobert were traded from the Jazz this offseason, ending an obviously tense partnership between the two of them.

Bojan Bogdanovic is reportedly the next Utah Jazz veteran lined up for a trade.

Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune reported Wednesday that Bogdanovic expects to be dealt "soon" as teams prepare to report to training camp.

The Jazz are in the midst of a full-scale rebuild after trading Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert this offseason.

Bogdanovic is heading into the final season of his contract and will make $19.3 million in 2022-23. He's been oft-rumored as a potential target for the Los Angeles Lakers, who are still exploring their Russell Westbrook trade options.

Utah would be a natural trade partner given the influx of quality veterans to the roster and its desire to jettison those players for future draft assets. The Lakers can trade their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks along with Westbrook in any deal, and those picks are considered desirable.

LeBron James could be retired by the 2027-28 season, and Anthony Davis has not proved capable of staying healthy long enough to be a franchise cornerstone. With the New Orleans Pelicans owning the Lakers' draft fate for up to the next three seasons—the Pels have pick-swap rights in 2023 and their choice of the Lakers' 2024 or 2025 first-round pick—there also is not much avenue for the front office to fortify the roster with elite young talent.

That said, the Lakers seem to have some level of self-awareness about their bleak long-term prospects. They have been hesitant to attach two first-round picks in Westbrook trade talks, which may be a non-starter for the Jazz.

Utah would almost certainly land a first-round pick by trading Bogdanovic by himself, let alone the other veterans that would be necessary to match salaries. The Jazz may be able to land more draft picks by trading their veterans individually rather than as part of a package.

Evan Mobley is a young building block for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the New York Knicks reportedly thought Cleveland wouldn't go all-in on a Donovan Mitchell trade based on how it could impact its ability to re-sign the big man down the line.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst (h/t RealGM) explained the Cavaliers' decision to trade for Mitchell caught the Knicks off guard:

"Frankly, I think when the Knicks were negotiating against the Cavs, the Knicks knew that the Cavs were bidding against them. The Knicks, I think, thought they were bidding against themselves. And I think one of the reasons why the Knicks weren't 100 percent certain the Cavs were going to go all-in is because they were saying, 'Well, the Cavs can't trade for Donovan Mitchell because it will handcuff them on Evan Mobley.'"

RealGM broke down the situation with Mobley, noting the Cavaliers cannot have three five-year designated rookie-scale max-extension players on the roster at the same time.

Since Mitchell and Darius Garland fit that designation, Mobley will not be able to sign a five-year max extension in 2024 when he is eligible if they are both still on the roster. Cleveland can instead either offer the USC product a four-year max extension in 2024 and potentially see him hit the open market earlier or wait to sign him to a five-year max in 2025 when he is a restricted free agent.

It wouldn't have been surprising if the Cavaliers prioritized the Mobley situation given that he is just 21 years old and coming off an All-Rookie season that saw him average 15.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 50.8 percent from the field, but the opportunity to pair him with Mitchell proved to be too enticing.

That decision ended an offseason filled with Mitchell rumors that almost made it seem inevitable the former Utah Jazz star would end up on the Knicks.

He even told reporters during his introductory press conference he thought he was headed to the Big Apple:

"I thought for sure I was going back home, I'm not gonna lie about that."@spidadmitchell on being hopeful that he was going home to play for the Knickspic.twitter.com/jKWmYFK7tB

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 14, 2022

Instead, the Cavaliers have one of the best young cores in the league as a result of the trade. Garland, Mobley and Jarrett Allen spearheaded a run to the play-in tournament last season, but the addition of Mitchell ensures there is a go-to scorer in place who has proved he can take over in the biggest moments.

The three-time All-Star averaged 23.9 points per game in the regular season during his time with the Jazz but elevated that to 28.3 points per game in the postseason.

The hope in Cleveland is he will have plenty of opportunities to build on those playoff numbers before the team even has to worry about Mobley's contract.

The Los Angeles Lakers were in talks about a four-team deal involving the New York Knicks, Utah Jazz and Charlotte Hornets earlier this summer before the Jazz sent Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Per The Athletic's Sam Amick and Jovan Buha, one preliminary iteration of the talks between the four teams would have seen the Lakers get Bojan Bogdanovic and Terry Rozier.

Amick and Buha noted the Lakers and Jazz are still talking, with Los Angeles pursuing Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson and Malik Beasley.

The Cavs acquired Mitchell from the Jazz for Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji, three draft picks and two pick swaps on Sept. 1.

The rumor mill continues to churn with talk about what the Lakers might look to do before the start of the regular season. They did add help on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $2.64 million deal with Dennis Schröder, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

Buddy Hield and Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers have been linked to the Lakers throughout the offseason, but there's no indication anything is getting close between the two sides.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported earlier this week on SportsCenter (h/t Arthur Hill of Hoops Rumors) that Los Angeles has shown a willingness to use its 2027 and 2029 first-round draft picks for the right player(s).

According to Wojnarowski, Hield and Turner wouldn't be enough to get the Lakers to use both of those picks to facilitate a deal.

The Jazz might be the best potential partner for the Lakers in their quest to find players who can help them compete for a playoff spot this season. Utah is clearly in sell mode after moving Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.

Los Angeles has already taken advantage of the Jazz's fire sale by acquiring Patrick Beverley for Stanley Johnson and Talen Horton-Tucker. Clarkson is very familiar with the Lakers, having spent the first three-and-a-half years of his career with the team.

Bogdanovic is probably the best trade candidate still on Utah's roster. The 33-year-old is owed $19.3 million in 2022-23, the final season of his current deal. He's averaged 18.3 points per game with a 40.3 three-point percentage over the past four seasons.

The Lakers are coming off an 11th-place finish in the Western Conference with a 33-49 record in 2021-22.

Donovan Mitchell disagreed with Danny Ainge's assessment of that Utah Jazz didn't believe in each other last season.

"I don't think we didn't believe [in each other]," Mitchell told ESPN's Brian Windhorst. "I said at the end of the season, don't trade [Rudy Gobert]. Let's figure this out, let's do. And that didn't happen. For him to say that after six months around the team, I disagree. But you know, at the end of the day, that's his decision."

Utah traded Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves earlier this offseason before sending Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Ainge, who took over as the team's CEO last December, provided a brutal assessment of the squad as previously assembled.

"What I saw during the season was a group of players that really didn't believe in each other," Ainge told reporters Monday. "Like the whole group, I think they liked each other even more than what was reported. But I'm not sure there was a belief."

Mitchell and Gobert spent five years together in Utah, helping the squad reach the playoffs in each season. Both players earned All-Star selections in each of the last three years.

After leading the team to the Western Conference semifinals in 2018, the squad was unable to build off the success with just one more playoff series win in the next four years. The team lost in the first round last season to the Dallas Mavericks in six games.

"It was clear to me the team did not perform well in the playoffs again," Ainge said.

This was enough for Ainge to blow up the roster, dealing away the two best players while also trading veterans Royce O'Neal and Patrick Beverley.

Mitchell believes the Jazz were good enough to win, but he will instead get a new opportunity with an exciting roster in Cleveland.

"I was truly excited when I got traded [to the Cavs]," Mitchell said Wednesday.

Utah, meanwhile, could have a long rebuild starting with three first-round picks in 2023.

New Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Donovan Mitchell told reporters at his introductory press conference with the team that he thought he was "going home" to New York after the Knicks were rumored to be in trade talks with the Utah Jazz, before the Cavs pulled the trigger instead.

"All summer I didn't really say much, I just let you guys do what you guys do, to be honest. I thought for sure I was going back home, I'm not gonna lie about that," he said. "But when I found out where I was headed, who I was playing with, the group, the team, the coaching staff—I couldn't be happier to be here, to be a part of this organization, this group, to join these phenomenal guys and add to it. I think, for me, that is what I'm truly excited about."

"I thought for sure I was going back home, I'm not gonna lie about that."@spidadmitchell on being hopeful that he was going home to play for the Knickspic.twitter.com/jKWmYFK7tB

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 14, 2022

Mitchell also told ESPN's Brian Windhorst that he thought he was "very close" to being a Knick, noting he knew "a little bit more than most":

Mitchell spent his childhood in New York, Connecticut and New Hampshire before attending college at Louisville and eventually being drafted by the Utah Jazz, where he spent the first five seasons of his career.

Once Rudy Gobert was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves this offseason, however, he said it was apparent his time in Utah was coming to a close:

"Once Rudy [Gobert] got traded, I kind of saw the writing on the wall. I think we all did. I think we understood [that] we had a good run."@spidadmitchell on when he knew the Jazz we're going to hit the reset buttonpic.twitter.com/JOxcLRDG4R

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 14, 2022

Mitchell, 26, will pair with an exciting young Cavaliers core, headlined by Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. That group reached the Play-In Tournament last season, though they failed to secure a playoff spot.

It was a huge step for a young team, and the addition of Mitchell has justifiably raised expectations.

The veteran shooting guard will add a level of perimeter scoring the Cavs didn't previously possess. The three-time All-Star has averaged 23.9 points per game in the regular season during his career, and he's risen his level during five playoff runs, averaging an impressive 28.3 points per game in the postseason.

There will be some questions to answer in Cleveland. The perimeter defense of Garland and Mitchell is likely to leave something to be desired, though having Mobley and Allen prowling the paint and Isaac Okoro should help matters.

There could also be some spacing issues, given that the Cavs will start two traditional big men. And while Garland (38.3 percent from three last season) and Mitchell (35.5 percent from three last year) aren't bad three-point shooters, this isn't a team with a ton of excellent catch-and-shoot options.

There will be growing pains. There would have been if Mitchell had headed to his hometown Knicks, too. But there is more optimism than doubt about these new-and-improved Cavaliers.

Utah Jazz CEO Danny Ainge saw internal problems with the team before starting the rebuild this offseason.

"What I saw during the season was a group of players that really didn't believe in each other," Ainge told reporters Monday. "Like the whole group, I think they liked each other even more than what was reported. But I'm not sure there was a belief."

Ainge added that he gave the team the "benefit of the doubt" during the regular season, but the squad did not perform in the playoffs.

Utah has reached the postseason in six straight years but has never advanced beyond the second round. The 2021-22 squad lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round.

The Jazz are now looking for a fresh start after trading away franchise cornerstones Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.

Ainge provided a different perspective for the organization, arriving in December as an alternate governor. He had previously been the general manager for the Boston Celtics, helping build the team that reached the NBA Finals this past season.

Though Ainge said he was "curious and optimistic" about the Jazz going into the job, it's clear he didn't think the squad could win a title as currently assembled.

With head coach Quinn Snyder stepping down after eight years with the team, there will be a lot of changes going into 2022-23.

The Jazz now have a long list of first-round picks over the next seven years, including three in 2023, as well as exciting young players like Collin Sexton, Talen Horton-Tucker, Ochai Agbaji and Walker Kessler.

The question is if they can develop on the court and create the right type of chemistry needed to create a winner.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will be better in a lot of ways next year after acquiring Donovan Mitchell, but one weakness could be outside shooting.

According to Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com, two insiders called the team's three-point shooting "a major problem."

The biggest concern is at small forward with both Caris LeVert and Isaac Okoro considered below-average outside shooters. This could clog the lane with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley inside also limiting the driving abilities of Mitchell and Darius Garland.

Cleveland finished 20th in the NBA in made threes last year, and that was before dealing away Lauri Markkanen, who has averaged over two made threes per game every year of his career, and Collin Sexton, who is a 37.8 percent career three-point shooter.

One solution could be getting more playing time for Kevin Love, a finalist for Sixth Man of the Year last season. A source suggested that Mobley is "athletic enough" to play small forward, per Pluto, which could create a huge lineup featuring Mobley, Love and Allen in the frontcourt.

Love's ability to stretch the floor (39.2 percent three-point shooting in 2021-22) could bring some much-needed balance to the offense.