What’s next for the Miami Heat — Donovan Mitchell?
As the Miami Heat search for their offensive juggernaut, former 13th overall draft pick Donovan (Spida) Mitchell is a name they should strongly consider. Coming off a year which saw him average 25/4/5, it might seem unlikely the Jazz would even consider trading Donovan, and that’s not even including the rocky relationship between Pat Riley and Danny Ainge. However, it seems like the Jazz may be headed towards a rebuild after trading away defensive centerpiece Rudy Gobert. Furthermore, Donovan is good friends with Bam Adebayo, and has been seen having dinner with Jimmy Butler as well. In this article I won’t be looking at what a trade package for Spida might look like (spoiler: it’s a lot), instead I am going to look at how Donovan would fit with the Heat.
Why the Heat should trade for Donovan Mitchell:
It may seem like the Heat don’t have a missing piece, as this last season they were only 4 points away from the NBA finals, however, for those who watched the Miami Heat it was clearly the team needs a bonafide offensive star who could carry the load night in and night out. The Heat have relied on superhuman games from Jimmy Butler for too long. As amazing as Jimmy is, it is unfair for the Heat to continously expect these performances. Donovan Mitchell will fill that role perfectly, since entering the league Donovan has averaged at least 20 ppg every year. He does so with a 36% stroke from outside the arch. There was only one player on the Heat this year who averaged at least 20 ppg and shot above 35% and that was Tyler Herro (39.9%). However it should be noted that Tyler Herro attempted 6.7 3pg while Donovan attempted 9.8 3pg. The Heat desperately need scoring, and Donovan offers just that.
Why the Heat shouldn’t trade for Donovan Mitchell:
As much as Donovan can be a great scorer, it should be noted he is not an especially efficient scorer. For his career Donovan has been under league average in effective field goal percentage, which gives evidence to his lower efficiency. However this could be blamed to his high usage rate(32.9), which was number 6th this last year.
How would Donovan work with the Heat?
Donovan Mitchell should see a drop in his usage rate if he is traded to the Heat, he would be a 1B player behind Jimmy Butler who would handle most of the ball handling duties. This could potentially lead to an increase in his field goal percentages and see him become a much efficient player. He also won’t have to take the shot in clutch situations as much, as this responsibility would primarily fall on Jimmy. Trading for Donovan Mitchell would also fit two timelines- it would fit the shorter window for a championship with Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry (if he isn’t used in a trade for Donovan), as well as a longer window with Bam Adebayo. Donovan is only 25 years old and is now entering his prime, he would be a welcome addition to the Heat, and could even push them to be title favorites.
