5 teams that can make an intriguing offer for Donovan Mitchell

5. San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs have been one of the teams tied to Mitchell early in the process. The Spurs are always an intriguing option for star players. Since Tim Duncan retired, it’s been a strange world for the Spurs. They still have Gregg Popovich at the helm, but he’s 73 years old. He can’t do this forever, and eventually, he will step away from the bench.

For now, he’s still coaching the Spurs, and they are looking for a player to build around. It’s harder to get free agents to come to San Antonio with an older coach and a lack of star power in a small Texas city. Dejounte Murray is turning into a really good player, but he isn’t the type of player that can do this by himself. That kind of player is rare. The Spurs need to bring in help, and the fact that Mitchell has so many years left is huge for them.

The conversations on the deal likely surround the ninth-overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft. It’s a certainty that other teams might be looking to push for more future picks. For example, the Los Angeles Lakers really can’t trade a first-round pick until 2027.

The Jazz would push for more in a deal. However, most of the eight teams ahead of the Spurs are steeped in long-term rebuilds and are not really interested in a player like Mitchell. It could give the Spurs an advantage in the long run since they can offer one of the highest picks. However, there is one intriguing team ahead of them.