3 reasons the Knicks would benefit from a Donovan Mitchell trade

Reason 2: A higher ceiling

A common fear among many Knicks fans surrounding a Donovan Mitchell trade is that we would be mortgaging our future in pursuit of a single player, similarly to the Melo trade made years ago.

However, there is one key difference between that trade and this potential one. In the season before trading for Melo, the Knicks earned a record of 29-53. New York’s best scorers were David Lee, Wilson Chandler, and Danilo Gallinari, who were all gone by the beginning of the following season.

In a trade scenario with the Jazz, there is a very high chance that the Knicks starting roster is going to remain intact while simply adding Mitchell. He would be joining a roster including a core of RJ Barrett, Jalen Brunson, and Julius Randle.

The Carmelo Anthony trade gutted the Knicks roster at the time and saw Melo join a hobbled Amar’e Stoudemire. At worst, this trade would gut the team’s depth in terms of the current roster, but depth is something that can be replaced. Star power and high-end talent, however, are not so easy to come by.

What Mitchell would offer the franchise is a major step in building a contender. It certainly wouldn’t be the only step required to get there, but not every team is going to go from missing the playoffs to being a contender overnight.