West Notes: Jazz, Donovan Mitchell, Kings, Timberwolves

Jazz

• A trade involving Donovan Mitchell is likely going to take some time, ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski said on NBA Today. As we continue to relay on our Jazz page, the Knicks appear to be the frontrunners in the Mitchell sweepstakes, with the Heat and others showing strong interest.
• The Jazz do appear to be exploring more trade options beyond just the Knicks, per Wojnarowski. The Knicks have already rebuffed one Jazz proposal, as we relayed here.
• Along with Mitchell, the Jazz are looking to move Mike Conley, insider Tony Jones of The Athletic said on The Stein Line podcast. Earlier reports suggested the Jazz were floating Conley to the Cavaliers in a proposal for Collin Sexton. (Full post.)

Kings

Former UC Davis forward Chima Moneke is ready to make the leap to the NBA with Mike Brown and the Kings. Moneke played for Brown and assistant Jordi Fernandez with the Nigerian national team.

“I had to choose between Sacramento and two other NBA teams that were interested,” Moneke said, via Basket News. “It was a surreal moment.”

Moneke, 26, is 6-foot-6 and spent his first four pro seasons in Spain and France. Brown and his assistants with the Nigerian national team won over Moneke and convinced him it was time to give the NBA a run.

“On the morning of the Champions League final, I woke up, and there was one missed call from the night. It was Mike,” Moneke said, via Basket News. “I called him back, and he told me he would be the Kings coach and wanted me to be a part of it. It was surreal to hear that.”

“But my agent told me it was going to happen. Brown brought the two assistant coaches from Nigeria, and I had a great relationship with them. The reason I came to Manresa is Jordi Fernandez. I have a close relationship with him, and he is the biggest reason it happened this time, too.”

He’s confident he can make his mark in the league.

“I train with NBA stars — Joel Embiid, Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal, Jayson Tatum, among others, and I do not look at them as heroes,” he said. “I look at them because they are where I want to be, but in the end, they are basketball players who play at the highest level.”

Timberwolves

• In case you missed it, the Timberwolves are signing guard/forward A.J. Lawson to a two-way contract, per Chris Hine of the Star Tribune. Lawson went undrafted out of South Carolina in 2021, then was waived by the Hawks last October. He gave a strong showing for the T-Wolves in summer league.
• Signing a guard such as Austin Rivers is another sign the Timberwolves are ready to be serious contenders, wrote Troy Asseln of Zone Coverage. Along with Rivers, Minnesota has added Bryn Forbes and Kyle Anderson in free agency, re-signed Taurean Prince and traded for Rudy Gobert.
• G League guard Kevon Harris may deserve a two-way spot after standing out for the T-Wolves in summer league, wrote Charlie Walton of Zone Coverage. Harris spent last season with the Raptors’ affiliate.