The New York Knicks signed Jalen Brunson as a free agent, but it’s not the only move they’re looking to make this offseason. There have been repeated reports that the Knicks are trying to acquire Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz, even though an initial offer from the Jazz was rebuffed.
Mitchell would be the biggest star to join New York in a long time, and with RJ Barrett and Jalen Brunson already on the team, it could make them quite an exciting outfit moving forward. However, Mitchell’s salary matches his star power and potential, he is owed upwards of $130 million over the next 4 seasons. And as such, Marc Stein has now spoken about the fact that the Knicks will need to make salary space for the star guard on Stein Line Live.
“The Knicks will have to look to get off salary, realistically. They’re taking on Mitchell’s contract, they just made Brunson $100m, and they’re going to extend RJ. They can’t have 4 guys making $100m if you want the flexibility to improve the team… other teams believe they’re trading Randle.”
Randle and Brunson are both on $100 million contracts, while RJ Barrett, who the Knicks are keen to keep, will be due an extension soon as well. If they can move Randle and acquire Westbrook, his expiring contract could be used to balance out salary and allow them to build around Mitchell moving forward if they do manage to get him.
While all of this seems to be a bit complicated, the Knicks potentially gaining a star with the quality of Donovan Mitchell is what makes it all worth it. They certainly have their work cut out dealing with the Jazz, considering what they have been demanding, but if New York can pull off a reasonable trade, then it will be an exciting headache for them to have.
