Wizards confident in chances of landing Donovan Mitchell?

One NBA team may be taking a page out of Dion Waiters’ book of irrational confidence.

Washington Wizards insider Quinton Mayo said this week on his Substack page that the Wizards believe that they are “firmly in the hunt” to acquire All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz. Washington recently made a trade offer for Mitchell that they see as a strong one, Mayo adds.

Mitchell, a New York native, has been heavily linked to the New York Knicks all summer. 

The Wizards seem to be well behind the Knicks from a winning standpoint, an assets standpoint and a personal ties standpoint. They had a worse record than the Knicks last season and made very few meaningful additions this summer (while the Knicks added Jalen Brunson and Isaiah Hartenstein). Washington also already has Bradley Beal (on a massive new contract with a full no-trade clause) entrenched at shooting guard. Beyond that, they have little to offer besides draft picks, the injury-prone Kristaps Porzingis, and lower-tier players like Kyle Kuzma and Rui Hachimura.

Still, you can’t blame the Wizards for trying their luck, especially since Mitchell is still on the Jazz after multiple months of trade talks. Another dark horse team may be lurking for Mitchell’s services too.