Donovan Mitchell is one of the best young shooting guards in the league, and he has been the No. 1 option on the Utah Jazz for the last few seasons. He had a stellar season last year with the team, averaging 25.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 5.3 APG while shooting 35.5% from the 3PT range.
This summer, Donovan Mitchell has been featured in a lot of trade rumors. It is clear that the Utah Jazz are going through a rebuild as of right now, which was signaled by them moving Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The New York Knicks are a team that has been frequently mentioned as a trade suitor for Donovan Mitchell. However, Knicks insider Marc Berman of the New York Post revealed that the Knicks were “turned off” by Danny Ainge demanding “a package of seven first-round picks and players” in exchange for the star shooting guard. It was previously noted by NBA insider Brian Windhorst that Donovan Mitchell would likely command a “historic” draft pick haul, and it is clear that this is what Jazz GM Danny Ainge was hoping for when he made the demands to the Knicks.
The Knicks are still trying to find a way to bring Donovan Mitchell home in a way that makes sense.
According to multiple industry sources, the Knicks were turned off by Utah team president Danny Ainge’s initial demands, when he asked in July for a package of seven first-round picks and players. Talks died, but recently there has been renewed back-and-forth.
The Knicks’ major concern, according to sources, is giving away too many future assets, which could leave them stuck in an area far below championship contender.
There is no doubt that acquiring Donovan Mitchell would make the New York Knicks a better team, but it wouldn’t necessarily make them a contending team. It makes sense that the New York Knicks would be concerned with spending a lot of assets to get a player that doesn’t immediately make them a championship-caliber team.
Hopefully, though, we can see the New York Knicks and the Utah Jazz come to an agreement on a trade for Donovan Mitchell in the future. A move would be in the best interest of both teams, and perhaps it’ll happen in the coming weeks.
