After officially signing Jalen Brunson, the New York Knicks haven’t gone quiet. The Donovan Mitchell chatter is nothing new, however, since the Utah Jazz expressed that they’re willing to engage in trade talks for the three-time All-Star, things have heated up.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the Knicks and Jazz have already started to engage in trade discussions (subscription required). Mitchell’s represented by the CAA, which is coincidentally where Leon Rose came from. The guard’s a New York native and his father works for the Mets, Mitchell’s favorite MLB team. He’s caught a few games in Queens during the offseason.
Similar to Brunson, Mitchell has ties to the Knicks (including Johnnie Bryant). And since New York has eight tradable first-round picks, as well as a slew of young players, all eyes are on the front office. The Miami Heat are also a team to watch on the Mitchell front, but they’re unable to make as good of an offer.
If the Knicks get Mitchell, that’d open up the door for another star to possibly make their way to Madison Square Garden.
A trade that the Knicks could make to bring Donovan Mitchell back to New York
The Jazz got a haul for Rudy Gobert from the Minnesota Timberwolves, which has upped the stakes for a possible Mitchell trade.
Minnesota sent Malik Beasley, Pat Beverley, Leandro Balmaro, Walker Kessler, Jarred Vanderbilt, a 2023 first-round pick, a 2025 first-round pick, a 2026 pick swap, a 2027-first round pick, and a 2029 first-round pick to Utah.
Here’s what Charania and Tony Jones wrote:
"New York is motivated to give the Jazz a significant package. But the Knicks are wary, sources say, of giving away the proverbial store to the Jazz. They would like to come away from a potential deal with the front-end talent and the depth needed to be a factor within the Eastern Conference."
The Knicks aren’t going to be able to fleece Danny Ainge, but here’s a trade that could be made:
The Jazz are focused on stockpiling draft picks and adding young players to their roster as part of their rebuild.
Cam Reddish is a 2019 lottery pick and Quentin Grimes is a 2021 first-round pick. The latter showed promise in his rookie season in New York and is currently dominating in Summer League. If Grimes stays with the Knicks and a Mitchell trade never happens, the 22-year-old could be the team’s starting shooting guard.
This trade would result in New York losing Grimes, which would be a tough blow, but according to The Athletic, Utah’s interested in the young wing. If New York can hold onto RJ Barrett and obtain Mitchell, that should be viewed as a win.
Although both sides have engaged in trade talks, there’s no rush for a trade to happen.
"I'd expect this to be a dance that plays out over the next 2-3 weeks or the rest of the offseason."
— Daily Knicks (@DailyKnicksFS) July 14, 2022
- Shams Charania on the Donovan Mitchell talks
Try to be patient. Mitchell’s coming off the best year of his five-year career, averaging 25.9 points and 5.3 assists while shooting 44.8% from the floor. He’d make the Knicks a playoff team, and hey, maybe he’d finally be able to make it past the first round.
Ranking 7 Knicks players that could be included in a trade for Donovan Mitchell
The New York Knicks are expected to put together a trade package for Donovan Mitchell. Here are 7 players that could be included in a possible deal.