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With reports emerging that Donovan Mitchell will sign an extension with the Utah Jazz, is he officially off the board for the Miami Heat?
Even as they are having success in their playoff series against the reigning MVP and the Milwaukee Bucks, the Miami Heat are still connected to all the rumors surrounding the All-Stars in the league.
The latest news? Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz are expected to reach an agreement on a maximum extension when free agency opens in mid-October, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
The timing isn’t surprising, given the Jazz’s Game 7 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday.
Mitchell was playing near MVP for Utah and finished the series averaging 36.3 points, 5 rebounds, 4.9 assists and one steal per game. The franchise is likely aiming to prevent any potential rumors from spinning before it can start leaking this news.
Now, Miami has never been formally linked to Mitchell, not even to the point of having an interest in the All-Star point guard. But when things started to turn down in Utah this year, photographers of the uniformed Heat guard took over the Twitter timeline.
This is the case when almost any All-Star talent seems unhappy with their situation. Miami is right in the middle of a “star lineup” situation as they are projected to have the maximum salary cap space in the 2021 offseason when Giannis Antetokounmpo and others will be free agents.
Mitchell would have entered restricted free agency in the same offseason, if they hadn’t (or not, I should say) agree on an extension. So that begs the question, is it safe to rule out any potential future for the guard in South Beach?
If the Miami Heat still want Donovan Mitchell, they can always trade it for him.
Not completely. See this is the NBA everything is possible.
A year from now, or when the NBA timeline is back in the playoffs, Mitchell and the Jazz could be coming off another first-round series loss. That is sure to resurface some feelings of frustration that the guard clearly expressed before arriving in the locker room after Game 7.
To think that Pat Riley and the front office aren’t prepared to trade for an All-Star if their 2021 bet falls short is ridiculous. It has always been a possible scenario, albeit a more difficult task to carry out, given the lack of future offsetting contracts and current contracts.
But yes The Godfather and the Heat feel like Mitchell is their man, don’t be surprised if they go the extra mile to make a deal work. Unlikely, but again nothing can be ruled out.
Until the Miami Heat can enter what is a highly anticipated offseason, they will have to see the end of their postseason or championship. Game 2 begins at 6:30 pm ET on Wednesday.
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