As the end of August draws nearer, the New York Knicks are back in trade talks with the Utah Jazz for Donovan Mitchell. New York’s latest reported offer wasn’t enough for Utah, but with training camp being around the corner, a trade could be on the horizon.
And now that the Kevin Durant trade sweepstakes have ended, with him “agreeing” to move forward with the Brooklyn Nets, the focus is on Donovan Mitchell. Teams such as the Toronto Raptors that were in the race for KD could put their pieces together in a package for Mitchell, or teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers could be looped into a three-team deal with the Knicks and Jazz now that the possibility of getting Kyrie Irving has been crossed off their list.
This is the dull part of the NBA offseason, but it feels like things are about to get exciting. The hope should be that regardless of what happens, New York will benefit.
Based on the latest news surrounding Donovan Mitchell, here are the three latest Knicks-related rumors.
3 latest rumors in Knicks’ pursuit of Donovan Mitchell
3: Knicks are reportedly prioritizing Julius Randle over Obi Toppin
If a deal happens, you can almost certainly bet that Obi Toppin will be included. His name has been floating around in recent trade rumors, while Julius Randle’s has not. New York’s latest offer to Utah included Obi Toppin and Evan Fournier, so clearly the Knicks aren’t worried about letting go of their No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
New York Post’s Marc Berman echoed that belief in his latest piece. He wrote:
"That the Knicks reportedly are willing to give up 2020 lottery pick Toppin is a sign of their belief Julius Randle can return closer to 2020-21 form when he was second-team All-NBA. They are hopeful Randle will be in a better space mentally than he was in 2021-22."
New York not being willing to give up on Randle shouldn’t come as a shock, especially when you take into consideration that the four-year, $117 million extension that he signed last offseason is set to kick in during the 2022-23 season.
What will happen if the Knicks include Obi Toppin in a Donovan Mitchell deal?
However, what is surprising is that the Knicks believe that he can “return closer” to the player that he was in 2020-21. Randle is a ball-dominant player, but with RJ Barrett and now Jalen Brunson in the starting lineup, he’s going to need to act as an off-ball player. It’s hard to envision Randle accepting that role, although we could be in for a surprise.
It’s risky to believe that a player who had one great season out of his eight years in the league will be able to bounce back in 2022-23, so much so that you’re willing to give up his potential replacement in Toppin. It’s true that Toppin’s easier to trade since he’s on his rookie contract, but letting go of him could be a move that New York regrets as soon as next season.
In order to trade for a player of Mitchell’s caliber, a team must be willing to give up a good amount (such as a young, exciting player like Toppin), but putting that amount of faith in Randle could result in disappointment.
2: Jazz reportedly not too concerned with Knicks players included in deal
During NBA Summer League, Shams Charania reported (subscription required) that the Jazz were believed to have an interest in Quentin Grimes, which wasn’t a surprise considering how the 22-year-old performed over that span. However, we’ve learned since then that New York reportedly doesn’t want to include the wing in a deal.
The good news is that according to Marc Berman, “Ainge doesn’t have many strong preferences on the players coming back, though shooting guard Quentin Grimes certainly is high on his list.” Based on that, it seems as if the Knicks could get by with not including Grimes in a deal.
Utah reportedly expressed interest in RJ Barrett, although him being eligible for a rookie extension should be enough to cross him off the Jazz’s list. A Donovan Mitchell trade would signify that Utah’s officially entering a rebuilding phase with Rudy Gobert being traded a couple of months ago, so it wouldn’t make sense for the Jazz to want Barrett.
The Knicks-Jazz aren’t in a disagreement over the players to include in a Donovan Mitchell deal
It’s a good sign that Utah has reportedly expressed that it isn’t too interested in the players that New York could send over in a deal. Berman’s report suggests that Ainge is more motivated to get a deal done rather than hassle the Knicks about players such as Grimes and Barrett.
So, could a trade be happening sooner rather than later? Well, that all depends on the number of unprotected picks that New York’s willing to include in a potential deal…
1: Jazz reportedly want four unprotected first-round picks
It doesn’t help that the Knicks are doing business with none other than Danny Ainge, who’s notoriously known for his ridiculous demands. He’s stayed true to his reputation in his effort to find a trade partner this time around, especially since he waited and got what he wanted from the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Gobert trade.
New York’s latest offer to Utah included two unprotected first-round picks and three protected first-round picks, but according to Marc Berman, the Jazz want four unprotected first-round picks. The Knicks reportedly don’t want to give up that much because if Mitchell makes his way to NYC, that could cause another star to want to join him, and unprotected picks would help in that scenario.
Should the Knicks be willing to include four unprotected first-round picks?
Ainge trying to squeeze two extra unprotected first-round picks out of the Knicks’ latest offer is how he does business. The discussions between the two sides have come down to unprotected first-round picks, but four is a steep price. Trading for an All-Star has never been cheap, but Ainge is trying to up the market price for All-Stars around the league.
Maybe the Knicks can loop a third team in to help satisfy Ainge and the Jazz (the Lakers?) so that New York won’t have to give up everything for Donovan Mitchell. Let’s see how these next few weeks play out.
Knicks’ Tom Thibodeau believes that he can transform Jalen Brunson’s game
New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau hasn't spoken publicly since the end of the 2021-22 season, but he's reportedly excited about the Jalen Brunson signing.