Utah Jazz: End of an Era? What Can They Get for Gobert or Mitchell?

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The Utah Jazz were eliminated from the playoffs last week, losing to the Dallas Mavericks in six games. In the five seasons, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert have been together on the Jazz, they have made the playoffs each season. But, they have not made it any further than the second round. Last year’s playoffs were a key example of the Jazz’s struggles, finishing first overall, but losing to the fourth seed Los Angeles Clippers in six games. With plenty of rumors of frustration between Mitchell and Gobert, including the recent “it’s him or me rumor”, it is time for this era of the Jazz to end. With countless teams in the West improving, the Jazz cannot compete with the stars they have. The following four trades will help the Jazz compete in the West while also splitting up Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.

Trade #1

Brooklyn Nets Receive: Donovan Mitchell & Rudy Gay

Utah Jazz Receive: Ben Simmons

With many rumors noting Donovan Mitchell’s frustration and the criticism of his play, he is more likely to force a trade in comparison to Rudy Gobert. A young star in this league, Mitchell would be a key on any championship team, even a championship team that couldn’t meet their expectations this season. Mitchell joining the Brooklyn Nets would work for several reasons. While not a great defensive presence, he would still add defense to the Nets that they are not getting right now. Mitchell also makes up for the scoring the team lost in the James Harden trade. More importantly, there is no telling what decision Kyrie Irving will make come free agency. If Irving leaves, Kevin Durant will have little to no help on most nights. Adding Mitchell will help the Nets advance further than they did this season and remain contenders for the coming years. In addition to Mitchell, Rudy Gay would be going to Brooklyn. Gay offers another veteran scoring presence, something the Nets did not have a lot of this season. With Mitchell and Gay going to Brooklyn, Ben Simmons would be going to Utah. Simmons did not play a game this season, even though rumors noted he would return during the first round. Simmons’s reputation this season has been ruined. Going to a team like the Jazz would get Simmons out of the spotlight while allowing him to improve on his shooting and add another strong defensive piece alongside Rudy Gobert.

Trade #2

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Rudy Gobert

Utah Jazz Receive: John Collins & Clint Capela

Even though they made it to the conference finals last year, the Atlanta Hawks have been struggling for years. The team finished as the eighth seed but lost to the Miami Heat In five games. Trae Young struggled and did not have help for several of those games. Looking at the Atlanta Hawks roster, it is easy to say that Trae Young is the only true player that is truly safe on the team. When looking at the first pieces that would need to be moved in order to build around Trae Young, John Collins may be one of the first to be moved. There we already rumors of Collins wanting to move prior to the 2021-22 season. Colins missed a significant amount of the season and underperformed when came back to the playoffs. Moving Collins to Utah would give him a fresh start and a new guard to play with alongside Donovan Mitchell. In addition to Collins to Utah for Rudy Gobert, Clint Capela would be added, as he has faced his struggles this season and cannot compete against some of the East’s best big men. Pairing Gobert with Young would not only give Atlanta much needed defense against the best of the East but provide a solid pick and roll partner in the big man.

Trade #3

Charlotte Hornets Receive: Donovan Mitchell

Utah Jazz Receive: Terry Rozier & Kelly Oubre Jr.

The Charlotte Hornets have one of the most exciting young stars in the league in LaMelo Ball. The team had some hot streaks during the season but ultimately lost in the play-in tournament for the second year in a row. LaMelo has some help, but there is no telling how long that help will be around. Miles Bridges had a hot year but is a free agent going into the offseason. Gordon Hayward missed 33 games and his history of injuries is concerning. Adding a piece like Donovan Mitchell would give Charlotte one of the most exciting young backcourts in the league with Mitchell and Ball. Terry Rozier and Kelly Oubre Jr. would be the two pieces to go back to Utah as Rozier can take Mitchell’s starting spot and Oubre would give Utah more offense on the bench in addition to former Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson. With LaMelo Ball being a free agent in 2024, now is the time for the Hornets organization to show Ball they are building a contender in the East.

Trade #4

Golden State Warriors Receive: Rudy Gobert

Utah Jazz Receive: Andrew Wiggins & Kevon Looney

The Golden State Warriors have shown this season that they are turning back the clock to 2015. Stephen Curry looked like an MVP early in the season, Klay Thompson finally returned after two seasons off, Draymond Green looked like the defensive player of the year prior to his injury, and Jordan Poole looks like the future of the team. One key piece left is Andrew Wiggins. While he had a good season overall and was named to his first All-Star team, it can be argued that Wiggins has had his ups and downs the experiment has not worked. Wiggins is still young in this league and has more potential to grow as a player. Trading Wiggins (and Kevon Looney to cover cap) to Utah would give the Jazz another scoring option alongside Donovan Mitchell while trading Gobert to the Warriors would not only give them a true center but a starting backcourt with two defensive players of the year. With the Warriors still in win-now mode for at least the next three to four years at minimum, adding Gobert alongside Draymond Green would give Golden State one of the best defenses in the league while having two of the best shooters in the league.