The New York Knicks and the Utah Jazz have been on the phone discussing a potential trade involving three-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell. Based on what Utah received in return for Rudy Gobert from Minnesota, New York’s aware of what a trade for Mitchell might look like.
However, at the same time, Leon Rose likely isn’t going to fold. The Knicks are interested in bringing Mitchell back to his home state, but it’s the Jazz who are working to stockpile draft picks and young players for a rebuild.
Danny Ainge’s time as an NBA executive begin back in 2003 when he joined the Boston Celtics, so he isn’t new to the game. With recently hired head coach Will Hardy, Utah’s reportedly willing to engage in trade talks for every player on its current roster. After trading Gobert, it was reported that the Jazz planned to build around Mitchell, but that wasn’t believable.
So, that brings us to where we are now. New York has the most to offer Utah, including eight tradable first-round picks and several young talented players. The Miami Heat are in the mix for Mitchell, but they only have two tradable first-round picks to offer in return. For the Heat to trade for the guard, a third team will have to be looped in.
But the Knicks and the Jazz could get a deal done without bringing in a third team. As of right now, though, New York’s not willing to give Utah what it’s already asked for.
The Knicks reportedly declined a trade offer for Donovan Mitchell
According to The Athletic’s Tony Jones, here’s a deal that Utah proposed to New York:
- Six first-round picks
- Quentin Grimes
- Immanuel Quickley
- Obi Toppin
Hey, Ainge is swinging for the fence, isn’t he? Not only would that deal require the Knicks to give up more picks than the Timberwolves did for Gobert, but they’d also be sending three of their best stars to the Jazz.
There’s no rush for this trade to happen. It’s mid-July and the 2022-23 season doesn’t start until October. If New York’s serious about acquiring Mitchell, which clearly seems to be the case, the Knicks and Jazz are going to continue to be involved in trade talks.
.@wojespn with the latest on Donovan Mitchell 👀
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 15, 2022
"New York is a motivated suitor." pic.twitter.com/2kf0jvn2SF
Adrian Wojnarowski said that Utah has “time on their side” with Mitchell’s contract and that the talks between the two teams aren’t going to be a daily occurrence. Mitchell still has three years left on his current contract before he has a player option in 2025-26. But if he’s on the Jazz’s roster this upcoming season, it likely won’t be for long.
The belief remains that he’s going to be on the Knicks sometime in the coming months. Ainge is going to try to squeeze everything that he can out of New York, which is why he went after six first-round picks as well as Grimes, Quickley, and Toppin. There isn’t a push for the Knicks to cave to Utah.
Hold tight. We’re going to have to step back and wait to see how all of this plays out.
This Knicks-Jazz trade could be enough to bring Donovan Mitchell home
The New York Knicks and the Utah Jazz have engaged in trade talks surrounding three-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell, and here's a trade that could be made.