Why The Utah Jazz Do The Deal?

Sure. Let’s look at it from a different perspective. If the Jazz make this move, they’ll have traded Mitchell for five first-rounders in the aggregate.

That’s not all they’re getting. They’re also getting a handful of interesting young players here. It’s hard to say which of this trio of youngsters is most intriguing, so we’ll simply say this: they all bring something to the table. Moreover, the Jazz aren’t taking any meaningful money back here. We thought about different permutations of this deal. We could have sent Clint Capela along with more draft capital to Utah. In the end, we thought the Jazz would prefer this financial flexibility and youth.

Why The Atlanta Hawks Do The Deal?

Another job that a general manager has is to pick a direction. Half measures don’t typically lead to success in the NBA. As a general rule, you’re either developing young talent, or you’re moving it for win-now players.

Perhaps the Hawks should rebuild. This team is well outside of the title picture in 2023-24. At the same time, they already have Trae Young and Dejounte Murray on their roster. It seems as if the Hawks have picked their direction – they want to win. So, why not trade for Markkanen? His ability to space the floor will make life easier for the Hawks’ dual point guards. Markkanen can also create his own shot – that’s what makes him a star. He’s worth all of the assets that the Hawks are giving up here.