4 Knicks that might’ve been in Utah if New York traded for Donovan Mitchell

Not only are the New York Knicks going up against Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs, but players that could’ve gone to Utah in a possible trade have been invaluable for the Knicks. New York’s 102-93 win over Cleveland at the Garden on Sunday gave the team a 3-1 series lead.

The series was supposed to be all about the Donovan Mitchell Show, but he failed to show up in Games 3 and 4 at MSG. It’s still too early to count the Cavaliers out completely as the Knicks still need to win one of the next three games (hopefully Game 6 and 7 won’t be necessary), but not many people predicted the dominance that New York would be putting on display in the postseason.

It was last September when the Knicks were clowned for not trading for Mitchell. The Cavaliers jumped into the conversation and met Danny Ainge’s demands to execute a Cleveland-Utah deal. The Jazz wanted three unprotected first-round picks and a slew of young players, and that’s what the Cavaliers gave up.

Mitchell’s strong regular season performance that resulted in being named an All-Star starter didn’t help the Knicks. It only made people criticize Leon Rose and the front office more for not going all-in, but the playoffs have been a completely different story.

4 Knicks that might’ve been in Utah if New York-Cleveland would’ve completed Donovan Mitchell trade

4: Obi Toppin

It’d be an understatement to say that Knicks fans have been thrilled with the way that Obi Toppin has performed in the playoffs thus far. In Game 4, Toppin was especially key as Julius Randle was benched for the entire fourth quarter. The 25-year-old finished with five points and eight rebounds in 20 minutes. Five of his eight rebounds were offensive rebounds.

Toppin was aggressive on offense, pulling up for a deep three (Obi Curry?) and even showing his moves off as he drove to the basket.

It was reported shortly before the trade deadline this year that the Knicks and Jazz were having “exploratory trade talks” involving Toppin for Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt. The Lakers swooped in and got that deal done, but it was still thought that Toppin could be on the move. New York ended up making only one trade for Josh Hart.

That wasn’t the first time that the Knicks reportedly had talks with the Jazz that involved Toppin. Over the summer during the height of the Donovan Mitchell rumors, it was reported that New York offered Utah packages that included Toppin.

In retrospect, especially with Randle’s nagging ankle injury, Knicks fans should be more grateful than ever that Obi Toppin remained in New York. The playoffs have been Obi’s time to shine!

3: Mitchell Robinson

Leading up to the start of the series, too much attention was placed on Cleveland’s “Twin Towers” and not enough attention was given to Mitchell Robinson. He’s been a monster for the Knicks, doing the dirty work on defense down low and on the boards.

In Game 4, Robinson posted a 12-point 11-rebound double-double. He had as many rebounds as Evan Mobley (seven) and Jarrett Allen (four) did combined. Not only that, but he outscored Donovan Mitchell, who had only 11 points.

A couple of months ago, he said that he was the best center in New York, which sparked controversy among Nets fans. There’s no doubt that Robinson isn’t only the best big man in the first-round series but in the playoffs as a whole.

During the offseason, the Knicks reportedly offered Robinson in a trade package to the Jazz that featured three unprotected first-round picks. Utah declined it, though. New York then proceeded to sign Robinson to a four-year, $60 million deal. No, it wasn’t an overpay.

Mitch dealt with a couple of injuries during the regular season, but his performance in the playoffs is a prime example of why his health is so important to the Knicks. Don’t count out the big man.

2: Immanuel Quickley

A lot can change in seven months. Not only did Immanuel Quickley’s name pop up in trade talks for Donovan Mitchell over the summer, but New York was reportedly shopping him a few months ago. Since then, he was named as a finalist for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award, coming up short to Boston’s Malcolm Brogdon.

Quickley has struggled offensively in the playoffs, with the exception of Game 3 where he scored 11 points (4-of-6). He looked completely out of it in Games 1 and 2 in Cleveland, but he was able to turn things around in the Garden. His impact on the defensive end in the past two games especially has stood out big-time. Darius Garland started to get hot in the second half of Game 4, but Quickley stepped in and stopped that, shifting the momentum back toward the Knicks.

It shouldn’t surprise Knicks fans to know that when IQ is on the court, New York allows fewer points than any other team does when another player is on the floor.

Thank goodness the Knicks didn’t meet one of the Jazz’s reported demands that included Quickley. According to The Athletic’s Tony Jones, New York “backed away” from that offer that also involved Toppin, Grimes, and McBride.

Immanuel Quickley will be extension-eligible during the summer, and fans should get their wish of IQ staying in NYC long-term.

1: RJ Barrett

To have a chance to win the series, the Knicks needed RJ Barrett to show up. His shots weren’t falling in Games 1 and 2 in Cleveland, but in Games 3 and 4, he turned it all the way up.

Barrett finished with 19 points (8-of-12 from the field, 3-of-6 from three) in Game 3 and a playoff career-high of 26 points (9-of-18 from the field) in Game 4. It should be noted that he missed all six of his three-point attempts on Sunday.

Rather than forcing bad looks, Barrett has been operating downhill and driving to the rim. His aggressiveness on the offensive end is what helped propel the Knicks to back-to-back wins over the weekend, which was especially needed with Randle’s ongoing offensive struggles.

The front office caught a lot of flak over the summer when the organization proceeded to extend Barrett to a four-year, $120 million deal rather than trade for Donovan Mitchell. Barrett’s name popped up the most in trade rumors, but in the end, the Knicks drew a hard line in the sand and committed to Barrett. His regular season was full of more downs than ups, but his explosiveness in the playoffs has been what every fan has been impatiently waiting for.

If New York does move on to the second round (I don’t want to jinx the Knicks), a large part of that will have been because of RJ Barrett.

It’s fitting that Knicks players that were included in offers to the Jazz have been instrumental for New York in a playoff series against Donovan Mitchell. Put some respect on Leon Rose’s name!

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