The Utah Jazz have operated like a team looking to rebuild this NBA offseason. They have traded two long-time rotation pieces in Royce O’Neale and Rudy Gobert for packages that were focused more on draft capital than the player return.
However, for as long as Donovan Mitchell is on the roster, they can be a competitive team. O’Neale and Gobert were key to their success, but as long as Mitchell is around, the Jazz can win some basketball games.
That is why people are so interested in the negotiations involving him. If they want to dive fully into a rebuild, Mitchell will eventually be traded. If he is on the move, expect plenty of more player movement to follow.
The Jazz have numerous veterans that would draw interest around the league. Two of the players to watch as trade candidates according to HoopsHype are Bojan Bogdanovic and Patrick Beverley.
Should Mitchell be traded, rival NBA executives believe a fire sale will happen immediately in Utah, signaling the start of a long-term rebuild. Playoff-caliber teams are monitoring Bojan Bogdanovic and Patrick Beverley, with both players entering contract seasons, league sources told HoopsHype.
Bojan Bogdanovic is an excellent source of scoring from the wing and a proven 3-point shooter. While he isn’t the strongest defender, he at least has the size to be competent defending wings and players at both forward spots.
He can step into the lineup as a starting small forward or provide a team with some scoring punch off the second unit. Beverley has already been traded once this season and if Utah chooses to rebuild, he will be on the move again.
This would be the second consecutive offseason Patrick Beverley is traded before suiting up for a team, as he was traded from the LA Clippers to the Memphis Grizzlies last summer before being re-routed to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Minnesota traded him earlier this offseason to the Jazz as part of the Rudy Gobert package. Contending teams would love the competitiveness and 3-point shooting that he provides at the point guard position. The turnaround he helped lead with the Timberwolves shows that he has plenty left in the tank to offer a team.
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