I honestly have no idea what either would get.
Gobert is great, but that contract is massive. I don't think you are getting a haul of assets. I think you can get an expiring contract the other team doesnt want, the center Gobert is going to replace, one decent young player or role player, and a non-lottery first. Maybe a team like Sacramento/New Orleans/Washington talk themselves into giving up their high lotto pick combined with w/ deadweight salary (with a decent player thrown in) for Gobert
Mitchell: I honestly have no idea. I think everyone in the league sees him as what he is now. I don't think he has the same shine to him he had last year when you could talk your self into him possibly becoming a top 10 player. He now has a reputation of being a terrible defender and someone who can have too much tunnel vision. But then again I may be overstating that. The biggest positive for him is that he's under contract for 3 more years at a fair price. The precedent for trading a guy like Mitchell with 3 years left just isnt there for me to even base anything off of.
I think Rudy is an eye of the beholder guy. If Sacramento hadn't gone in on Sabonis he'd honestly be perfect for their goals because they'd love to get to the 40s in wins and just sneak into the playoffs. I think its Memphis, Dallas, Charlotte (though they have some cost issues), Atlanta, maybe NY or Toronto but the trade fit is hard to see with Toronto's salary. The return may be less than we think or someone may rise up that we haven't considered. The issue is if you give Dallas or Memphis Rudy it really sets them up for success and if we move toward mediocrity it looks really ******... Donovan gonna love that? So if you are looking to stay good it REALLY starts limiting what you can do.
Donovan I think you are selling his value short. I am not sure he'd have the trade value that Damian had last offseason but it would be close. I think Beal and Donovan would be awfully close in value. Recent struggles maybe take away a little shine but I think a pick in the 3-8 range plus another young prospect and some other goodies is totally reasonable. If its a team like the Knicks and the don't move up its a 10 dimes for a dollar package but the upside is getting picks for 2023 and beyond that are unprotected that would have big upside. If Donovan and RJ pairing isn't awesome then that package gets real nice... if you are patient. Its similar to the KG/Pierce Brooklyn deal. I actually think a Donovan trade could net more back but the prospects would have to hit.
Then you can also trade in Bogey/JC/Mike for future looking stuff that is good. Add in Royce to that group as well. Would LA do Westbrook and two unprotected picks in 27 and 29 for Mike and Bogey... add in Royce or JC too.
Then you pick up ancillary assets by taking in burdensome contracts or rehab projects. Basically the OKC model. Would Brooklyn do the Philly pick (it has protections that allow you to defer it to 2023 unprotected and has some upside) they have and Joe Harris for Bogey? You can rehab Joe and flip him later... if he can't get healthy the cap hit really doesn't matter.
It would be preferrable to land a top 7 pick this year so we have a prospect to start rooting for and watch develop. If the return on Rudy is **** then maybe you can do something with Donovan where you get an Ivey and another good player and change out some of the parts. I don't think the performance of the team is the issue... its the performance with expectations and also the general attitude and vibes around the team. I think Rudy would be cool living his days out in Utah even if it meant the team wins high 40s and only breaks out of the first round here and there. I don't love that model but if Ivey or one of the other assets really breaks out then you have a little higher ceiling.
Its ironic that the core and other pieces that Ainge built in Boston are now working. He had some misses for sure but the overall construction of building around wings and two way players is the right idea. He also watched IT and Kemba break down and Kyrie bail on the franchise... so I do not think Donovan is off the table.
If you did a tandem deal with Dallas and NY you could actually get more draft capital by working with both teams since NY owns a protected Dallas pick. Adjusting those protections would open up how many picks they can send and give some certainty. I know its the nerdy internet GM thing to blow up the team but its also the exact right move sometimes.
