So much attention is being paid to the trades that enabled the New York Knicks to assemble their first championship team in 53 years. From Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby to Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart, the Knicks aren’t here, perched atop the basketball world, without making those moves.
Yet, they also aren’t here without avoiding the temptation of other trades. Most notably, the moves not made for Donovan Mitchell and Giannis Antetokounmpo are arguably just as critical to the Knicks’ title as the players they ended up acquiring.
The Knicks were wise to pass on Donovan Mitchell
Exiting the Mitchell sweepstakes, in particular, is one of this era’s great sliding-doors moments. He was The Guy for the Knicks before their Jalen Brunson obsession.
Even after they poached JB from the Dallas Mavericks, they were heavily linked to Mitchell. Talks with the Utah Jazz progressed to the point that Spida himself knew about them, and later said he heard New York’s offer included “hella draft picks.”
The Knicks ultimately didn’t get a deal past the finish line. RJ Barrett apparently became the sticking point, a development that seemed risky at the time, but ended up working out in New York’s favor.
Missing out on Mitchell first and foremost nudged the Knicks away from building around two small guards. Brunson just undermined the whole “you can’t win with a 6’2” star as your best player” narratives, but the odds of him evolving into a top-10 player plunge if he’s ceding touches and status to someone else out of the gate.
Beyond that, if New York shipped out “hella picks” for Mitchell, it would not have been able to complete other deals. The Bridges trade certainly never happens. The Knicks may not have possessed the spare picks to get deals for KAT and Hart over the hump.
Most critically, including Barrett in a package for Mitchell would have left New York without one of the main ingredients in its eventual Anunoby package.
The Knicks have faced multiple inflection points since
The what-ifs don’t stop with the Mitchell trade that wasn’t. They spill over to the past calendar year, during which the Knicks had at least two opportunities to upend their core.
Yes, trading for Giannis always loomed as a long shot. New York didn’t have the necessary assets after all its other moves to rival other potential offers.
Still, the Knicks had an exclusive negotiating window with the Milwaukee Bucks last offseason. Though nothing ever appeared close, they also drew a clear line in the sand when it came to what they’d give up and take back. That level of restraint with a top-five player potentially up for grabs is impressive. And it helped ensure they didn't blow up this nucleus in exchange for a player who finished the season injured.
It didn’t end there, either. While the Knicks were not deemed the most aggressive Giannis suitors at February’s trade deadline, outside forces and on-court results were begging them to look at cutting the cord with Towns and/or Bridges.
Just like they did during talks for Mitchell in 2022, just as they did to a lesser degree in Giannis negotiations last summer, the Knicks didn’t give into temptation. Even if they weren’t steadfast in their restraint, they showed enough of it to avoid submarining future opportunities and prematurely short-circuiting the core in place today.
And now, they have a championship to show for it.
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