Are the Miami Heat willing to overpay just to have All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell?
Mitchell has been one of the hottest tickets right now in 2022 NBA free agency, and a move to Miami would be good for him and the team.
Although the Miami Heat made an offer for Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, they weren’t very active during the NBA free agency period otherwise.
Remember that they lost PJ Tucker for nothing. His departure is unfortunate, especially since the Heat have not found a suitable replacement. Now, Miami looks set to start the season without a defensive-minded power forward on the roster.
Bringing back Victor Oladipo, Caleb Martin and Dewayne Dedmon doesn’t really make a difference. Meanwhile, rookie Nikola Jovic is still too far in his development. The Heat are undoubtedly a strong candidate for Kevin Durant, who would transform them from a club that seemed to have taken a step back into perhaps the league’s top title contender. It may be out of reach, however.
Mitchell is a little more accessible and he can also become a real difference maker.
*Watch NBA Games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*
Moving the heat key
Traded for Donovan Mitchell
If the Miami Heat can actually succeed in negotiating for Donovan Mitchell, it would make a lot of noise.
“You have to assume Donovan Mitchell’s ultimate goal is to win a championship. The New York Knicks are nowhere near a championship.”
—@Foxworth24 thinks the Miami Heat are a better fit for Donovan Mitchell pic.twitter.com/u1PKuTW3gm
– First Take (@FirstTake) July 14, 2022
Mitchell is a leading scorer in today’s game and a three-time All-Star. He averaged 25.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game in the 2021-22 regular season while shooting 44.8 percent from the field and shooting 35, 5% from outside the arc.
According to reports, the Heat would likely have to give up guard Tyler Herro to get Mitchell. Herro alone surely wouldn’t be enough, which is why other names attached to a possible deal include Duncan Robinson, Caleb Martin and Victor Oladipo. And yet, that might not be enough, especially after Utah beat Minnesota in the Rudy Gobert trade. In fact, due to the lack of compelling offers from Miami, the Jazz would now like the Heat to add a third team to a potential deal.
This is likely due to the Heat’s lack of interim assets to complete a trade. Compared to the eight first-round picks the Knicks can give away, Miami has only two tradeable first-round picks it could use to acquire Mitchell.
If the Heat can really entice a third team into this circus, having Mitchell team up with Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry and Bam Adebayo would really boost Miami’s chances of making it back to the NBA Finals. It would give them a lot more firepower to take on the likes of the Sixers, Bucks, Celtics and Nets while still maintaining their defensive identity.
On another note, some may talk about the designated recruit rule. This prohibits trading for a player under a Designated Rookie deal. Bam Adebayo and Donovan Mitchell are covered by this. Interestingly enough, though, Miami can actually have both guys on the same team because they drafted Adebayo.
Keep in mind that in each of his first five NBA seasons, Mitchell averaged 20.5 or more points per game. That’s why Utah’s asking price is quite high, but that’s also why it’s worth it.
