Jazz Need To Make A Move To Keep Donovan Mitchell Happy

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The NBA offseason is here for the Utah Jazz and they have some serious questions to answer about the roster makeup for next year.

Do the Jazz keep the bulk of the same roster together like they did last year and give it another go or do they make some moves to shake things up to get better?

One thing that the Jazz higher ups need to consider is how they can keep Donovan Mitchell in Salt Lake City for years to come. Mitchell is on his rookie deal and baring anything odd he will be with the Jazz through at least 2022.

General Manager Dennis Lindsey should be thinking a few steps ahead and show their budding superstar that he the Jazz are willing to make moves to become a contender. Standing pat for two years in a row is not a good look.

.@spidadmitchell’s shoe giveaway was an eagerly awaited tradition before every game.

Here are some stories of the people who received a pair ❤️

(RTs count as votes!)#DonovanMitchell | #NBACommunityAssist
» https://t.co/iHa6YvKcEN

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) May 2, 2019

KSL Sports’ Alex Kirry feels that the Jazz must make a move to keep Mitchell happy.

“More importantly, the Jazz have figured out that you want to keep Donovan Mitchell here as long as you can and make him a lifer,” Kirry said on KSL’s Unrivaled. “You have to show him in offseason trades that you are willing to make sure he is happy.

“It is weird to think that the team needs to reflect off of how Donovan can play with this person or that person. This has to be the No. 1 thing I think that they considered ‘does this make Donovan Mitchell happy?’”

What Will The Jazz Do?

The one name that keeps coming up is Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley Jr. He is a guy that the Jazz tried to land this past offseason and at the trade deadline but the trade fell through. The one main issue with getting Conley is his contract, as he still has two years left on his current deal and is owed $66 million, a lot of money.

The Jazz do have some potential cap room if they do not bring back Ricky Rubio who would free up nearly $15 million, but a trade would need to happen to pull this off. The most common player in trade talks include Derrick Favors and Dante Exum, and those two would get close to matching Conley’s deal.

Adding Conley would give the Jazz that 20-point scorer to go along with Mitchell, but is it worth it to give up Favors who has shown to be a great player for the Jazz with his all-around play? This hypothetical move may not be the one the Jazz go after this summer.

Staying Still Is Not The Answer

The Jazz do not necessarily need to land Conley but Lindsey and others need to show Mitchell that they are making moves. This is the long game to show Mitchell that the Jazz are looking to get better. This could be some minor moves by getting a mid-level free agent to come in, but something should be done to shake things up going into next year.

Kirry also feels that the Jazz must make a move and it has to be someone who can score points alongside Mitchell.

“The Jazz don’t necessarily make these big moves in the offseason,” Kirry said.”They have to add a scorer and adding a scorer that can give you 18-20 points to go along with Donovan Mitchell’s 25-ish points a night. That would make the Jazz an immediate threat in the West.”

We're voting for #DonovanMitchell for #NBACommunityAssist award.

You can join us and vote by RT through May 5. pic.twitter.com/xyMmfXDQTv

— Utah Jazz Doing Good (@JazzDoingGood) April 30, 2019

Kirry’s co-host, Scott Mitchell is firmly behind the Jazz making a move to assist Donovan Mitchell. It also could be a possibility that Mitchell may not be fully aware that he has all of this power. So, the Jazz are trying to get in front of this.

“Donovan might realize that a large market team can attract free agents easier and he can bring these guys in here because they are not going to Utah,” Mitchell said. “As much as Utah is great and Donovan loves it, those guys are not coming to Utah.

“There is no question that if you want to keep Donovan Mitchell longer term, the Jazz need to do something significant.”

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