At the moment, two of the teams that seem most likely to execute a trade for Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell are the Miami Heat and New York Knicks.
It seems as though the main piece of a Heat deal for Mitchell would be Tyler Herro, while the main piece of a Knicks deal would be R.J. Barrett. That could put the Knicks in a better position to get a deal done because Barrett is seen as a more valuable trade chip than Herro, according to a recent report.
Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report discussed the latest news regarding a potential deal for Mitchell.
“Utah’s appetite for Barrett as the key ingredient in a Mitchell trade is unclear,” Fischer wrote. “But an unofficial B/R poll of over two dozen NBA executives at Summer League this week indicated Barrett boasts a greater trade value across the league than Miami’s best blue-chip prospect, Tyler Herro, by a wide margin, particularly because of Barrett’s improving strengths on the defensive end.”
Last season, the two 22-year-old ballers averaged very similar numbers. Herro finished the year with averages of 20.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. Barrett finished with averages of 20.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. Clearly, the two players are quite talented.
As the report indicates, however, a big reason why Barrett is perceived as a more valuable trade chip is because of his defense. Herro is still a work in progress on that side of the court.
In the end, it is hard to predict if a trade for Mitchell will happen at all. However, if a Mitchell trade does take place between the Jazz and either the Knicks or Heat, it’s likely that either Barrett or Herro will be on the move as well.
