3 glaring offseason regrets Knicks have after first month of season
1: Not trading for Donovan Mitchell
After the Jazz fell to Jalen Brunson and the Mavericks in the playoffs last season, the Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert trade rumors were in full force. Utah traded Gobert to Minnesota on the first of July, and that’s when the Mitchell-Knicks saga began.
Over the next two months, New York’s front office went back and forth with Danny Ainge and Utah. Talks stalled over that period before the Knicks ultimately proceeded to extend RJ Barrett, who was part of the trade talks. Shortly thereafter, the Jazz sent Mitchell to the Cavaliers in a shocking move that included a third unprotected first-round pick that New York was hesitant to part with.
Through 16 games in Cleveland, Mitchell is averaging a career-high 30.1 points and is shooting a career-high 50.5% from the floor and 42.3% from three. Even after recently losing five-straight games, the Cavaliers still sit at No. 3 in the Eastern Conference with a 12-7 record.
As for the Knicks, they sit towards the bottom half of the conference and will be lucky to be fighting for a play-in spot at the end of the season. That wouldn’t be something that New York would’ve had to worry about if the front office would’ve decided to go all in on Mitchell.
Now, the Knicks are left waiting for the next disgruntled star to become available via trade. If the right fit becomes available, the front office should be less hesitant this time around. Although Ainge’s demands were high, to be successful as a team in the NBA, having a star is a requirement.
