The NBA Trade Deadline is a month from now, who moves?

Trade season is upon us! With the trade deadline being exactly a month from now (February 8th), expect more rumors from here on out. As a disclaimer, we should remember that rumors from the media aren’t always 100% true and sourced, like we would want. Some media sources are certainly more reliable than others. So while we here at SLCDunk keep you up to date, remember that 1) a rumor is never guaranteed to actually happen, and 2) just because a rumor exists doesn’t mean it is actually true in the first place.

As has been written by MyLo in two other SLCDunk update articles (here and here), Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN cited the Jazz as one of the teams interested in trading for available Bulls power forward Nikola Mirotic. He also wrote that there are teams looking into Alec Burks, as they try to bolster their wing depth for the playoffs. I have no reason to doubt these rumors, Nikola would be a fantastic addition to our frontcourt, and Burks is a wing who would be an upgrade for many teams’ bench.

Break out your trusty ESPN trade machine hats (and note Mirotic can’t be traded until January 15th). What deals can you envision involving these two rumors?

Dallas Mavericks coach and head of the NBA coaches association Rick Carlisle bashed on an ESPN article that put a little too much stock into some words of Lavar Ball, at the expense of LA Lakers coach Luke Walton. Our friendly neighborhood SB Nation Dallas Mavericks blog, “Mavs Moneyball”, wrote an article about it.

Before the Mavericks vs. New York Knicks game on Sunday night Carlisle was giving his usual presser to the media and this topic in particular caught not just his attention, but his vitriol. The author of the aforementioned article, Jeff Goodman, is currently stalking covering the other Ball brothers (LiAngelo and LaMelo) as they begin their pro-careers in Lithuania. Goodman also quotes Lavar Ball as saying:

“That’s a good team,” he added of the Lakers, who have lost nine straight games. “Nobody wants to play for him. I can see it. No high-fives when they come out of the game. People don’t know why they’re in the game. He’s too young. He’s too young. ... He ain’t connecting with them anymore. You can look at every player, he’s not connecting with not one player.”

Carlisle responded to the question about the article in as frank a manner as anyone could.

Although this isn’t directly Jazz-related, I felt this was one of the best responses to media incessantly turning to Lavar Ball as a “reliable” source of information. Rick Carlisle really lays it down and drops the mic at the end. I recommend a click-through.

Everybody is watching Donovan Mitchell. Nate Robinson tweeted Donovan to tell him that he was his favorite to watch.

The amount of respect Donovan is getting from present and past players alike is very promising for the future. We have something special on our hands.

Speaking of Donovan Mitchell, Youtuber Mike Korzemba put out an entertaining video about Donovan Mitchell and his past.