Knicks reportedly discussed an interesting Donovan Mitchell four-team trade
Strangely enough, it almost feels like it’s been an eternity since Adrian Wojnarowski shocked the NBA world by reporting that Donovan Mitchell was being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers instead of the New York Knicks.
With there being less than a month left until the Knicks’ season-opener against the Grizzlies, fans have finally accepted the fact that Mitchell won’t be suiting up for New York. Although, the comments that he made in his introductory press conference last week did sting a little.
Before the Mitchell-Cavaliers trade happened, there had been talk about the Knicks being part of a three-team trade with the Lakers and Jazz. New York would’ve gotten a star, Los Angeles would’ve gotten rid of Russell Westbrook, and Utah would’ve gotten a couple of promising young players along with picks.
That’s all in the past, but with the Lakers finalizing a one-year deal with Dennis Schroder on Friday, Jovan Buha and Sam Amick of The Athletic (subscription required) revealed an interesting tidbit about the Lakers’ attempts to trade Westbrook this summer. Reportedly, before the Mitchell trade, Los Angeles discussed a four-team trade with New York, Utah, and Charlotte.
Knicks reportedly were in talks for Donovan Mitchell as part of a four-team trade
Buha and Amick mentioned Terry Rozier making his way back to LA in one scenario, but Charlotte being part of a deal would’ve surprised a lot of people. After all, the Hornets’ only major offseason signing was inking Cody Martin to a new four-year deal.
Let’s try to not go too far out on a limb, but with Miles Bridges’ future being up in the air, perhaps Charlotte was also hoping to get a certain power forward on top of sending Rozier to the Lakers.
The Knicks are going to have a hard enough time in a stacked Eastern Conference, but there’s reason to believe that they could finish above the Hornets. Last season, Charlotte made it to the play-in tournament over New York, but outside of LaMelo Ball, the Hornets’ future looks bleak.
For those who aren’t confident in the moves that the Knicks did/didn’t make this summer, it’s easy to admit that New York has a brighter future than Charlotte. But in this case, the Hornets would’ve been helping the Knicks get Donovan Mitchell. None of that matters now, though.
Los Angeles is reportedly content with keeping Westbrook and having him come off the bench, but with the Schroder signing, the chances of Russell being traded have increased. Who knows, maybe New York will be looped in. And no, the outcome likely wouldn’t be what you’re expecting. We’ll have to sit back and see what happens.
