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Knicks’ final rumored rejected Donovan Mitchell trade offer proves Danny Ainge is a weasel

ByJordanna Clark|
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 20: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz dribbles during the second half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 20, 2022 in New York City. The Jazz won 108-93. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 20: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz dribbles during the second half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 20, 2022 in New York City. The Jazz won 108-93. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

It’s the day after the Utah Jazz traded Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a surprise move. The New York Knicks didn’t end up getting the three-time All-Star after all, although based on what the Cavaliers gave up to get Mitchell, that may not be such a bad thing.

The Knicks and the Jazz were going back and forth for a couple of months, including a period where trade talks stalled out for a few weeks. Leon Rose reportedly gave Danny Ainge and Utah a deadline of Monday night to come to an agreement on a trade or else New York would extend RJ Barrett, who had been included in trade proposals.

The Cavaliers and the Jazz had previously discussed a trade for Mitchell, but last week, Cleveland reportedly took itself out of the race. According to Woj, the Cavaliers and the Jazz reconnected on Tuesday, and Cleveland “aggressively pursued” Mitchell.

Woj wrote that because New York “temporarily walked away” from talks on Monday night, Cleveland was able to re-engage with Utah. However, based on what the Knicks’ reported final offer was, New York made the right decision to not do business with Danny Ainge.

The Knicks reportedly included RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley in their final offer for Donovan Mitchell

So, New York offered Utah RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and two unprotected first-round picks, but Utah still wanted more. According to Tony Jones of The Athletic, here’s what the Jazz were hoping to get (subscription required):

"New York wanted to trade for Mitchell, but it didn’t want to sacrifice its assets, believing it could use some of those said assets to trade for another star in the future. But the Jazz were not willing to accept an offer that only required the Knicks to surrender two of their unprotected first-rounders."

Perhaps it’s for the best that Danny Ainge rejected the Knicks’ final offer because it included only two unprotected first-round picks and not three. Acquiring a star such as Donovan Mitchell requires giving up a lot in return, but giving up both RJ and IQ is a lot. In the end, Ainge was able to get three unprotected first-round picks (2025, 2027, 2029) and two pick swaps (2026 and 2028) from the Cavaliers.

None of this is to say that Mitchell wouldn’t have made New York better because that simply isn’t true. However, the Knicks were unfortunately dealing with Danny Ainge, who is notorious for the trades that he makes. Look no further than what Utah got in return for Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.

It seems as if New York’s front office wasn’t willing to play Ainge’s games, and now that all’s been said and done, it’s time for the Knicks to move forward and prepare for their next move.

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