How the Donovan Mitchell Trade talks impact the OKC Thunder

The NBA is quickly becoming a year-round sport, as the NBA Summer League wraps up, we sit here on July 19th with Donovan Mitchell, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant all publically made available by their teams either via a full-blown rebuild or trade requests. Plus, uncertainty around Russell Westbrook (which the Lakers tried to clear up with a three-way phone call like middle schoolers after a spat on the playground), and DeAndre Ayton’s awkward situation finally got cleared up. Is Myles Turner on the move or not?

Wait, James Harden took a pay cut and is in the best shape of his career? The New York Knicks actually landed their target free agent? We still have a schedule to be released, big names to move, and roster projections, and are only about 12 weeks away from pre-season basketball (October 5th).

How are the Oklahoma City Thunder impacted by the Utah Jazz shopping around guard Donovan Mitchell?

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in the midst of a rebuild, trying to place the finishing touches on their roster and develop their young players to push them into title contention eventually. While the end date is not yet known, many expect the Thunder to push all-in next offseason.

For now, the Oklahoma City Thunder will likely trend toward the bottom of the standings and shift their focus to the 2023 NBA Draft which projects to be an incredibly deep class. Now, it appears another team will be contending for a top pick in the NBA Draft.

The Utah Jazz shipped off Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a jaw-dropping haul featuring five first-round picks and the 22nd pick in the 2022 NBA Draft (Walker Kessler). While at the time the Jazz maintained this was not putting up a for sale sign in the front yard, now the narrative has changed.

It appears Donovan Mitchell’s days in Utah are numbered, with the New York Knicks in the driver seat to land the guard and revamp their backcourt in one offseason after inking Jalen Brunson to a massive contract.