NBA Notebook: Where will Danny Ainge take Jazz fire sale next?

The Donovan Mitchell trade is done, with new Jazz CEO Danny Ainge continuing his dismantling of the flatlining Utah core by sending the team's star to the Cavaliers for a package highlighted by three unprotected first-round picks, two future swap options from Cleveland and Ochai Agbaji, a 2022 first-round selection. GM Justin Zanik and Ainge now boast a portfolio of future draft picks rivaling the Oklahoma City Thunder, New Orleans Pelicans and Houston Rockets, who had set the standard for selling stars for years of future picks.

Ainge isn't done either, with an array of remaining Jazz veterans all set to be available for the right price. Utah has 17 players, two over the regular season limit, and are only $1.7 million below the luxury tax line. Teams like the Celtics have sizable trade exceptions and depth needs. The Lakers probably need to address Russell Westbrook's future at some point. The Heat could end up requiring roster reshuffling too.  

The full tear-down approach to multiple future draft picks hasn't actualized into a championship for a team in recent history, with Ainge's Celtics coming closest this past season almost one decade after trading Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce for Nets picks that became Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. The team quickly pivoted back toward contention once Isaiah Thomas turned into an MVP candidate in Brown's rookie season and opportunities to land Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving became available one year later. Their path to making the Finals took winding turns after Hayward's opening night injury and Ainge stepped down following multiple free agent key losses and a tumultuous 2021.

The Philadelphia 'process' also turned away from Sam Hinkie, perhaps with some league influence, and 2019 looked like the team's best chance to win it all when they traded for Jimmy Butler. The Rockets nearly got a big break with James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving all almost leaving the Nets within two years of Brooklyn trading all their first-round rights to Houston through 2028 for Harden. The Thunder will probably wait another year to try winning after Chet Holmgren's injury. The Pelicans look like they have a path to championship upside later this decade thanks in part to Lakers picks from the Anthony Davis deal. Now, the Jazz will tank in hopes of landing a top pick to select French center Victor Wembanyama or G-League guard Scoot Henderson. 

Would bringing back R.J. Barrett and better prospects from the Knicks have beaten however many extra picks the Cavaliers included long-term? That'll be a key question, especially when bottoming out doesn't guarantee the same odds at a top pick since the draft lottery reform. The Rockets passed on Jarrett Allen in the Harden deal in favor of more draft compensation and lost two lotteries as the league's worst team. The Thunder taking back Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for Paul George was a huge success, and they still successfully tanked the past two years.

The Timberwolves celebrated by including more picks and retaining young forward Jaden McDaniels in the Rudy Gobert trade, while the Celtics ended up doing fine in the Pierce-Garnett deal without taking back any valuable players from Brooklyn. It's also worth noting the third pick in that trade became James Young in 2014. You still have to draft well and get lucky. Swap rights don't become your picks unless your team improves above the one you deal with.

Ainge again chose the draft pick rebuild route rather than paying Barrett and other prospects now. Collin Sexton is one of many players still on the Jazz who could give Utah more opportunities to draft its next star, but as Ainge showed late in his Celtics tenure you can amass more assets than you can use. The Thunder already began selling off first-rounders, like the one they got in the Kemba Walker trade with Boston.

Here's what's left on Utah's roster after the Mitchell and Gobert trades and where those players could potentially end up. 

Mike Conley (34): $22.7M in 2023, $24.4M in 2024 ($14.3M guaranteed) 

Entering year 15 after transitioning to a floor spacing and secondary facilitating role in Utah (40.1% 3PT in 3 seasons). He boasts an excellent assist-to-turnover ratio (3:1) despite a declining ability to create off penetration or defend compared to his Memphis days. He's an expensive 6-1 shooter with good vision and veteran savvy. That may be the deal that only costs the Lakers one future first-round pick compared to the two they've been asked to forfeit in Westbrook talks. He could also be an option for Miami should Kyle Lowry decline further or the team decides to offload Duncan Robinson's long-term money. Keep an eye on the Lonzo Ball situation, as Chicago could end up with a backcourt need and offer Utah Nikola Vucevic's expiring $22-million contract. 

Bojan Bogdanovic (33): $19.3M in 2023

An offensive rock for the Jazz over the last three seasons, shooting 44.7% from the field, 39.7% from three and scoring 18.4 PPG. He's 6-7, so he can exploit some mismatches, but largely spent his time in Utah catching-and-shooting threes in Quin Snyder's threes-and-layups system. The Raptors had been previously reported as suitors, but don't have much flexibility to stack together $16.1 million to match Bogdanovic's salary. The most intriguing destination would be the Lakers, and Utah could clear his entire contract off the books in a three-team trade that sends Westbrook to Indiana (h/t Eric Pincus). It would require the Lakers to go from a $33.4 million to $76.7 million luxury tax bill. That may not be feasible for president Jeanie Buss and there'd be complicated pick compensation to sort out, but that'd qualify as going all-in around LeBron James for his 38-year-old season. Utah would fall well below the luxury tax, hard cap and have more in-season flexibility. 

Collin Sexton (23): $16.7M in 2023, $17.6M in 2024, $18.4M in 2025, $19.3M in 2026

Sexton returns from meniscus surgery last November a long way from emerging as the Cavaliers' centerpiece prospect in the early stages of their rebuild. He averaged 24.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG and 4.4 APG on 47.5% shooting in 2020-21 before Darius Garland overtook him early last season. On a bare Jazz roster, he'll likely post obscene numbers and this contract could look like pennies in a few years once a likely 2025 cap spike hits. He probably won't be traded this year, and isn't eligible to be until Dec. 15 after his signing. 

Lauri Markkanen (25): $16.5M in 2023, $17.3M in 2024, $18M in 2025 ($6M guaranteed) 

Markkanen's ascension from unheralded Bulls free agent to receiving a surprisingly strong offer from the Cavaliers who already had two big men to a 7-0, floor-spacing forward role on one of the better starting defensive units in the NBA was something to watch. Then his contract became the key salary matching piece in the Mitchell deal after a season where he posted 14.8 PPG and 5.7 RPG on 35.8% three-point shooting. The Jazz will have several years against an increasing cap to boost his value and he'll move back to playing at the four and five positions where he shot better. The Raptors and Kings would make sense as destinations, with Sacramento able to offer draft compensation and Harrison Barnes' $18.3-million expiring salary. Would the Knicks circle back to Utah to move off Julius Randle if his New York tenure slides further south? Markkanen and other Utah veterans could work as a return, but the Jazz need to move away from the tax to bring back that kind of money. He's probably going to stay put for at least this season, and can't be paired with any other players in a deal until Nov. 1. 

Malik Beasley (26): $15.5M in 2023, $16.5M team option in 2024

A 3-and-D wing whose efficiency dipped from 39.9% on three-pointers to 37.7% in a fluctuating role for the Wolves. He's on a good contract, but between multiple legal issues in 2020 and a narrow role he's more likely to end up in a larger deal with multiple players like the Gobert deal that sent him to Utah than targeted individually. The Celtics had been linked to Beasley in the past before the expiration of their $17.1-million Evan Fournier trade exception and signing Danilo Gallinari. They're not in a matching position to acquire a player of his salary now unless they float a guard like Derrick White. 

Jordan Clarkson (30): $13.3M in 2023, $14.3M player option in 2024 

Clarkson shoots a ton, doesn't get to the free throw line often and struggles from three, sliding from a career-high 36.8% in 2019-20 to 31.8% this past season. A team that targets Utah would need to have a particular need for volume scoring off the bench, and most contenders either have that role filled or lack the salary-matching flexibility to acquire Clarkson. The Heat make sense if Victor Oladipo falters. The most likely trade he'd be included in would be a bigger deal where the Lakers offload Westbrook directly to Utah for multiple players in return. 

Talen Horton-Tucker (22): $10.3M in 2023, $11M player option in 2024

A formerly intriguing prospect who shot horribly (41.6% FG, 26.9% 3PT) when he moved off-ball for the Lakers and became nearly unmovable on his current contract. The Jazz added the potential of a second-year renewal on that deal to save a few million dollars on Patrick Beverley's contract now while hoping to rejuvenate Horton-Tucker's value. There's ball time for him here, but it's hard to imagine a team matching money to acquire him given his shooting limitations. All teams have ball-dominant players they're building around or developing. Only Houston would make some sense if the Kevin Porter Jr. point-guard development flames out completely in the final year of his deal. 

Rudy Gay (36): $6.2M in 2023, $6.5M player option in 2024 

The player option probably crushes any chance for the Jazz to trade Gay alone after he averaged 8.1 PPG and 4.4 RPG on 41.4% shooting with 34.5% three-point shooting in his 16th season. The Celtics could absorb him into their $6.9-million trade exception after the Gallinari injury, but Gay isn't a great career shooter, plays below-average defense and would add nearly $24 million to their luxury tax bill. Even Utah sending Boston a draft pick for more wiggle room beneath the tax wouldn't be intriguing. The Jazz may need to stretch Gay next summer.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker (24): $5M in 2023, $7.1M qualifying offer for 2024

Ainge acquired Alexander-Walker as the significant move of his first trade deadline with the Jazz. He didn't play much after, averaging 9.9 minutes in 15 games, and he mostly launched threes in Snyder's system. His college shooting hasn't translated three years into his career and he'll be an awkward restricted free agent if he plays inefficiently again next year. He's one of the few wing prospects on the roster though, and should be prioritized by new coach Will Hardy. It's hard to imagine him being traded next year, but if another team targets him with a first, multiple seconds or a more intriguing prospect facing free agency like Cam Reddish they'd listen. 

Jarred Vanderbilt (23): $4.4M in 2023, $4.7M in 2024

The most underrated piece that moved in the Gobert trade. Minnesota had to hate moving Vanderbilt on a great contract after a brilliant season at the four as a slasher, rebounder and defender next to Karl-Anthony Towns. Vanderbilt floated around as a free agent into the late stages of last offseason before Minnesota retained him, then he averaged 6.9 PPG, 8.4 RPG and 1.3 SPG on 58.7% shooting. The Wolves' main starting lineup was one of the best in the league. As a young, cost-controlled player he'll command a first-round pick and may receive one from a contender looking for depth at the four and the five. He's not a seamless replacement for Gallinari, but he'd make a ton of sense in Boston's front court. The Nets need defenders and have an extra first-rounder from Philadelphia. He was born to play for the Raptors' system. The Heat, Suns and Lakers would love him in bigger deals. 

Ochai Agbaji (22): $3.9M in 2023, $4.1M in 2024, $4.3M in 2025, $6.4M in 2026

The best bet to not move on Utah's roster this year as a cost-controlled rookie who was picked in the lottery. He's not going anywhere. 

Simone Fontecchio (26): $3.2M in 2023, $3M in 2024 

An Italian veteran who's played professionally since 2012. This will mark his rookie season in the NBA after going undrafted in 2017. 

Walker Kessler (21): $2.7M in 2023, $2.8M in 2024, $3M in 2025, $4.9M in 2026 

The No. 22 overall pick out of Auburn and dynamic shot blocker who came over in the Gobert deal. Kessler should start and play a ton in Gobert's absence, another unlikely player to move this season. Kessler stuffed 4.6 shots per game last season in 25.6 MPG. 

Leandro Bolmaro, Stanley Johnson, Udoka Azubuike, Jared Butler: All young players signed for less than $2.5 million. They're probably players the Jazz want to prioritize feeding minutes to instead of their inevitably departing veterans. They are less valuable than some of their other prospects though, and could move in some of the cost-cutting, adjustment and larger moves the team pulls off. Bolmaro was a 2020 first-round pick, Johnson shined defensively for the Lakers, while Azubuike and Butler are former college stars trying to adapt to the NBA.

Here's what else happened in the NBA this week... 

Boston: Danilo Gallinari tore his left ACL, the same one he had reconstructed in 2013 with the Nuggets, likely forcing him to miss the entire 2022-23 season and placing his career in question at 34 beginning a two-year deal with the Celtics. It's a blow to what the team hoped would be an infusion of three-point shooting, veteran savvy and front-court size I wrote about last week shortly before he injured his knee in World Cup qualifier action for Italy. They're now thinner at the forward and center positions, though their trust in Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet, forthcoming veteran tryouts in training camp and Ime Udoka's tight rotations will make the team progress patiently. Even a minimum free agent signing like Carmelo Anthony would add $10 million to the luxury tax bill. Boston has three open roster spots. 

Jayson Tatum will receive a signature shoe from Jordan Brand as he moves up the company's promotional hierarchy. ESPN, in a poll of league personnel, awarded the Celtics for having the best offseason. Tatum came in third behind Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic in terms of who will be the league's best player in five years. The Bucks and Celtics both received seven votes as east favorites.

Brooklyn: Signed free agent forward Markieff Morris, who missed most of last season with a weird case of whiplash suffered in an altercation with Nikola Jokic. The 33-year-old joins what the Nets hope will be a bigger, more defensive rotation and leaves one regular season roster spot available for Brooklyn. Nic Claxton and Day'Ron Sharpe are the team's only natural centers after the departure of Andre Drummond, and while Ben Simmons and Kevin Durant could factor into that role in smaller lineups, it's more likely Morris plays sparingly while the interior becomes one of Brooklyn's major questions to start the season. Simmons rarely played center while he and Joel Embiid were teammates in Philadelphia.

Charlotte: Finished second in an ESPN GM poll for worst offseason. Hard to argue after they likely lost Miles Bridges, who is facing charges for domestic violence in Los Angeles, fired head coach James Borrego, saw his replacement Kenny Atkinson back out of the deal and re-hired Steve Clifford. The Hornets drafted Mark Williams, but made little improvement to a one-sided roster beyond that.

Chicago: Lonzo Ball isn't expected to be ready for training camp and could miss the start of the regular season as he's progressed minimally since January meniscus surgery and an April shutdown of his attempt to return due to pain. Bulls VP Arturas Karnisovas said during Summer League that Ball's getting better, though not at the speed they would like, and at 25 years old, Ball has undergone two meniscus surgeries on his left knee. Chicago went 19-23 to close the season without him before losing in five games to the Bucks in the first round. They were 27-13 when he exited the lineup, with new teammates DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Ball pushing the Bulls toward the top of the east. Ball's entering year two of a four-year, $80 million contract with a 2024 player option. Alex Caruso, Coby White and rookie Dalen Terry are available as depth. 

"I've heard way more positive than negative," NBC Sports Chicago Bulls reporter K.C. Johnson said earlier this week. "I'm not saying that means he's out there opening night. I'm not saying that he's playing all 82. What I'm saying is the skepticism that was earlier in the offseason has moved a little bit towards the optimism side."

Cleveland: Capped the offseason by landing Donovan Mitchell in a blockbuster trade, sending Lauri Markkanen, rookie Ochai Agbaji and Collin Sexton (in a four-year, $72 million sign-and-trade) along with three unprotected first-round picks (2025, 2027, 2029) and two pick swap options (2026, 2028). Mitchell joins Cleveland on a four-year, $134.9 million deal alongside Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen as a legitimately imposing two-way team. Consolidating draft picks and several role players, while addressing uncertain Sexton's future, was a no-brainer for the Cavaliers. 

In terms of their future contention ability, Mitchell will need to bounce back from an abysmal defensive season in Utah to fit a defensive-first culture in Cleveland playing next to another 6-1 guard in Garland. They also need to find a reliable wing, since Caris LeVert is an on-ball offensive player who doesn't have great perimeter size. Isaac Okoro struggled to draw defenses to the perimeter as a shooter last season. Kevin Love and LeVert are major expiring contracts Cleveland could use with their remaining draft picks to address that position sometime during the season, then this group should make Memphis-like noise in the east as soon as this season.

Dallas: Selected in ESPN's GM poll as having had the worst offseason with six votes. They acquired Christian Wood and JaVale McGee at center with Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell already playing good minutes there. They consolidated an array of players who didn't play much for them and drafted Jaden Hardy. It's hard to hate that for a team that made the west finals, took major steps defensively, appear to be returning Luka Doncic in top shape as he plays for Slovenia in EuroBasket (14 PTS, 6 REB, 10 AST, 4/14 FG in group win vs. Lithuania Thursday) and return Spencer Dinwiddie after successfully acquiring him as a trade deadline boost for the oft-injured Kristaps Porzingis. I'm higher on this group than Charlotte or Brooklyn, even considering that they lost Doncic's running mate Jalen Brunson.

"They lost him for nothing," a West executive said. "Then turned around and gave JaVale [McGee] a lot of money and traded for Christian Wood."

Denver: Nikola Jokic opened EuroBasket with Serbia blowing away the Netherlands, 100-76, while scoring 19 points with six rebounds and four assists on 8-for-13 shooting. The opener follows a World Cup qualifier run for the Nuggets MVP where he dropped 53 points, 18 rebounds and six assists in wins over Giannis Antetokounmpo's Greek and Alperen Sengun's Turkish national teams that kept Serbia's 2023 hopes alive. Serbia plays the Czech Republic on Saturday at 11:30 EST before facing Finland on Monday, Israel on Monday, then Poland on Thursday to round out group play.

Detroit: Rookie Jaden Ivey has a chance to be the best rookie in five years after largely missing Summer League with an ankle injury. The two executives who voted for him in ESPN's survey, Ivey finishing behind top picks Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren, liked his ability to lead a Pistons offense that has good young players like Cade Cunningham, Saddiq Bey and Jalen Duren next to him. Rockets No. 3 overall pick Jabari Smith Jr. didn't receive a vote. 

"It's a guard league. (Ivey's) going to be on a good, young team with a lot of young, good guys around him," an East executive said. "I think he's got a chance to be really good [with] a great platform to build off."

Clippers: New Clippers guard John Wall revealed suicidal thoughts he battled during his Achilles tear recovery, family members' health battles and deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"Darkest place I've ever been in," Wall said. "At one point in time, I thought about committing suicide. I mean, just tearing my Achilles, my mom being sick, my mom passing, my grandma passed a year later, all this in the midst of COVID and at the same time, me going to chemotherapy, me sitting by my mom taking her last breaths wearing the same clothes for three days straight laying on the couch beside her."

Wall said seeking help from a therapist allowed him to overcome those thoughts and he will return to the floor for the first time since 2021 with a chance to win his first NBA championship with Los Angeles.

Lakers: The Donovan Mitchell trade leaves Russell Westbrook's future as the largest outstanding offseason storyline just weeks from the opening of training camp. Multiple analysts have pointed toward the Lakers potentially playing out Westbrook's final season on his contract then utilizing $30 million in cap space to pursue Kyrie Irving next summer. The problem with that plan is that there's a good chance that Westbrook's fit with LeBron James and the Lakers won't change, LA spends James' 38-year-old season out of contention and the only feasible way Irving would shake loose from Brooklyn is probably if the year goes poorly for him and the Nets. That doesn't seem to be the best bet solution to this situation. The Lakers have eyed Knicks forward Cam Reddish in the meantime, and the Jazz' fire sale provides another potential destination for Westbrook as Danny Ainge accumulates a mass of first-round picks. The Lakers seem reluctant to forfeit both 2027 and 2029 selections as James forecasts a possible departure from the Lakers if his sons enter the league elsewhere. That leaves LA stuck. 

Miami: Didn't land in the worst offseason section of the ESPN poll even though they missed out on Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell, haven't extended Tyler Herro, paid Victor Oladipo a sizable two-year contract and lost P.J. Tucker to the 76ers. The Heat are probably slightly worse entering 2022-23 and the East improved around them. Erik Spoelstra will raise players like rookie Nikola Jovic, power forward Haywood Highsmith and two-way guard Marcus Garrett above their expected output, and we've seen enough of Max Strus and Gabe Vincent to believe they'll be reliable contributors. The Duncan Robinson contract is a real problem at this point though, and Kyle Lowry's bounce-back season is mandatory for them to get back in the mix of contenders. This offseason showed how limited their flexibility is unless they consider moving on from Bam Adebayo. They'll undoubtedly keep an eye on Brooklyn's season and Kevin Durant's future. 

Milwaukee: Giannis Antetokounmpo capped Greece's opening win over Croatia in EuroBasket with a reverse alley-oop jam, pouring in 27 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and three blocks. His backside block on Clippers center Ivica Zubac maintained a two-point lead moments earlier, scoring the Greeks an early win in their tough group that features Italy (3 p.m. SAT), Great Britain (11 a.m. MON), Ukraine (11 a.m. TUE) and Estonia (11 a.m. THU). Greece entered the tournament equal to Slovenia and slightly behind Serbia in betting odds. 

Minnesota: Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore remain in the process of purchasing the Timberwolves, guiding decisions like hiring Tim Connelly as GM and trading for Rudy Gobert. Rodriguez is reportedly falling short of his share, starting with a first payment Lore took over. It points toward Lore becoming a lone final decision maker atop the team, rather than the initially planned 50-50 balance. Lore told the New York Post he continues to view Rodriguez as a partner.

New York: Extended R.J. Barrett on a four-year, $120 million contract marking the first time since Charlie Ward (1994 NBA Draft) that the Knicks signed one of their first-round picks to a second contract. It was a staggering streak emblematic of New York's organizational dysfunction over the past two decades, which may not be over yet considering the team reportedly shopped Barrett in the Donovan Mitchell sweepstakes in recent months. Adrian Wojnarowski noted once the Jazz and Cavaliers got a deal done that the Knicks had offered Utah Barrett, Mitchell Robinson, Obi Toppin and three first-round picks earlier this summer. 

It's unclear whether New York extended from two to three of their own picks, an apparent sticking point since they own multiple selections from other teams, but several reports indicated the team's desire to retain young defender Quentin Grimes and the Knicks ultimately drew a line in the sand somewhere. Barrett's extension sent a strong signal earlier this week that New York was done with a pursuit they'd long signaled, most notably with a trip by their executives to a Jazz-Mavericks playoff game in Dallas. The gesture apparently angered Jazz officials, one of many bumps in the road between the two teams eventually getting a deal done, and Utah pivoted to a surprise suitor in Cleveland. 

That's a blessing for the Knicks if they continue to see growth from Barrett and an array of talented young players, but Cam Reddish is reportedly discontent with his standing on the roster after receiving limited minutes following his arrival from Atlanta. The question for New York is whether they'll follow a patient approach or overcompensate for their failure in this negotiation by funneling assets elsewhere?

Orlando: The Magic opened an impressive practice building next to their arena as they became the latest entrant into the league's race for facilities supremacy which the Celtics stepped into with the opening of the massive Auerbach Center before the 2018-19 season. Orlando's $70 million space features two courts, three pools, an altitude chamber, on-court tracking technology for data analysis, a sensory deprivation chamber and a barber shop.

Philadelphia: Voted second-best offseason behind the Celtics in ESPN's executive poll for their extension of James Harden, signings of P.J. Tucker and Danuel House, and acquiring De'Anthony Melton via trade. Keeping Matisse Thybulle around after his disappointing postseason that included an absence from a tense first-round series due to his vaccination status appears wise too, and gives Philly flexibility to court bigger, smaller, offensive and defensive lineups. This roster looks poised to make a run at the East's top seed on paper, but they're almost entirely dependent on Harden's trajectory. He showed enormous potential in the pick-and-roll with Joel Embiid in their first half season together. His own individual scoring ability ticked downward after declining in Brooklyn too. 

Portland: If Giannis' game-sealing slam was the best moment of the preseason international play in Europe, Jusuf Nurkic's slam on former Celtics center Vincent Poirier should be an easy pick for runner-up. Nurkic scored 19 points for Bosnia and Herzegovina in their EuroBasket opener win over Hungary.

Toronto: Waived wing shooter Svi Mykhailiuk and signed former No. 4 overall pick Josh Jackson who saw his scoring cut in half last year between Detroit and Sacramento after a resurgent 2020-21 season with the Pistons. Jackson has struggled to shoot in the NBA (29.2% 3PT) and isn't a strong passer or rebounder. He's 25 this season and finished 2021-22 shooting 40% from the field. This may be his last chance to stick in the league, and it's scary to remember that the Celtics seemed to be weighing Jayson Tatum and Jackson equally ahead of the 2017 draft. Toronto coach Nick Nurse has done a good job utilizing as much of his rotation as possible and a full 20-man training camp roster. 

Utah: The Jazz traded Donovan Mitchell after one of the great careers in franchise history -- five seasons, three all-star appearances, 8,000 points, 1,400 rebounds and 1,500 assists, leading Utah to the playoffs in five straight seasons following the Gordon Hayward departure. Mitchell averaged 28.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 4.7 APG in 39 postseason games, and he leaves without the resentment typical of a free agent departure or trade demand. His Jazz never made the West Finals though, leaving a mildly sour taste after what was a frustrating final season. 

Washington: Watched an encouraging EuroBasket debut for Israel's Deni Avdija, scoring 23 points with 15 rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocks on 7-for-15 shooting in an overtime win over Finland. Celtics 2021 second-round pick Yam Madar went scoreless without any box score figures in seven first half minutes, before sitting for the entire second half. Avdija's breakout entering his 22-year-old season follows a strong defensive showing with the Wizards in year two, averaging 12.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per 36 minutes. He's one of the few Washington draft picks in recent years to show real promise and he's doing so at a position of need as a passing forward next to shooters.