The New York Knicks and the Utah Jazz have engaged in trade talks for three-time All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, but things are reportedly at a standstill between the two teams. With over two months left until the start of the 2022-23 season, it could be another few weeks until a trade goes through (if it happens).
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported (subscription required) that there are six teams other than the Knicks who have expressed interest in Mitchell, but New York has the most to offer. If Danny Ainge’s asking price can come down from the seven to eight first-round picks range, Mitchell could be making his way back home.
The reasons why the Knicks should trade for Mitchell have been discussed, but what about the reasons why he should want to be traded to New York? He hasn’t requested a trade, which would speed up the process, but there are reasons why he’d benefit from a trade to the Knicks. Let’s dive into a few of those reasons now.
3 reasons why Donovan Mitchell should want to be traded to the Knicks
3: His family
Mitchell was born on Sept. 7, 1996, in Elmsford, NY, which is a little under 23 miles outside of Manhattan. If he were to be traded back to New York, which is where it all began for him, he’d get to be much closer to his family.
His father, Donovan Mitchell Sr., has worked in the New York Mets organization since 1999. He currently serves as the Senior Director for DEI and Player Relations. And the 25-year-old guard is an avid fan of the Mets, as well as baseball in general. So far during the offseason, Mitchell’s caught a few games at Citi Field.
After Utah was ousted in the first round of the playoffs by the Dallas Mavericks, Mitchell was asked about his future. He said that the future wasn’t something that he was thinking about at the moment, but that he would factor his family into his decision.
Guess who Mitchell would get to see a lot more of if he played for the Knicks? His family. And family factored into Jalen Brunson’s free agency decision as well. The point guard is a New Jersey native and will play under his father Rick, who was named as an assistant coach a couple of months ago. Brunson said that the Knicks are “one big family for me.”
Now that Brunson’s much closer to his family, it’s time for the same to happen for Mitchell.
2: A reset
Mitchell was drafted by the Denver Nuggets with the No. 13 overall pick in 2017, but he was then traded to Utah. In his first five years in the league, the Jazz have been stopped in the first round of the playoffs three times. And in the two years when Utah made it past the first round, the team came up short in the second round.
With Rudy Gobert being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves a few weeks ago for a stockpile of picks and players, the Jazz are in rebuild mode. Before it became official that Utah was willing to engage in trade talks about Mitchell, the guard was labeled as the only one on the roster who was ‘untouchable.’
On top of that, Quin Snyder resigned in early June after spending eight seasons as the Jazz’s head coach. Reportedly, Mitchell was left ‘unsettled, unnerved and wondering what it means for the franchise’s future’ after Snyder’s unexpected resignation.
There’s no better time for the guard to hit the reset button, which is what Utah’s done, but not in the way that Mitchell should’ve been hoping for. Meanwhile, New York’s amid a reset, but in a good way. With the addition of Brunson and constructing the future around their promising young players led by RJ Barrett, the Knicks are back on the right track.
1: To get to take over on the biggest stage
When players arrive in New York to play for the Knicks, one of the questions surrounding them is if they’ll be able to handle both the media and the fans. Luckily, with Mitchell being from the area, he’s familiar with both of those things.
It’s not unusual for players outside of the Knicks to name Madison Square Garden as their favorite place to play. It’s the Mecca, after all. But like with Brunson (whose name keeps popping up), a trade to New York would mean that Mitchell would get to not only go back home but would get to play on basketball’s biggest stage.
The Jazz are a small-market team, so it’d be a change of pace and a new challenge for Mitchell, but given where he’s at in his career, there isn’t a better time to make the move.
With Utah continually coming up short in the postseason, Mitchell hasn’t been able to unlock the amount of success that he’s desired with the Jazz.
And if a trade to the Knicks were to finally happen, he’d get to lead the Knicks back to a place where they haven’t been since the late 90s. Imagine that happening in one of the greatest cities in the world.
The stars seem to be aligning for Mitchell’s arrival and just because New York has the most to offer shouldn’t mean that the Knicks are automatically the optimal team for the guard, but in this case, that’s exactly what it means.
3 reasons the Knicks would benefit from a Donovan Mitchell trade
With the New York Knicks looking to trade for Donovan Mitchell, here are three ways that they would benefit from him joining the roster.