How Can Rockets Trade For Jazz All-Star Donovan Mitchell?
The Houston Rockets have been looking for the right time to escape the doldrums of the NBA and launch themselves back into relevancy.
While many believe that time will come in the 2023 offseason when two max contract slots open up, there's slight potential for that to come a little bit sooner.
Utah Jazz All-Star Donovan Mitchell has been the subject of trade rumors all summer long, and while the New York Knicks and Miami Heat have been the most interested in him, Bleacher Report suggested a trade that would bring the six-year veteran to Houston.
Houston Rockets receive: Donovan Mitchell
Utah Jazz receive: Eric Gordon, Kevin Porter Jr., Kenyon Martin Jr., Usman Garuba, 2023 first-round pick (via MIL), 2024 first-round pick (via BKN), 2026 first-round pick (via BKN) and 2028 first-round pick
The deal would send four first-round picks to Utah along with four players. Veteran Eric Gordon would help match salaries, but Kevin Porter Jr., KJ Martin and Usman Garuba would help the Jazz with some strong prospects at the beginning of a rebuilding situation.
Despite the unlikeliness behind such a deal, it's worth noting that a move like this could put Houston back in the playoff mix in the Western Conference, and while the timeline for this specific deal may not fit, a similar deal down the line could end up being what happens.
By trading for Mitchell, it would likely slide Jalen Green into more of a point guard role and allow him to run the offense on most possessions.
A Green-Mitchell backcourt pairing has shades of the philosophy the Rockets had while the team employed James Harden. The Rockets tried to build their team around the guards and allow everything else to work itself out.
Given how the team is currently constructed, it appears the next generation of contending Rockets could once again be built in the backcourt.
