Much to the dismay of New York Knicks fans, Donovan Mitchell will not be suiting up for the franchise next season. The Knicks seemed to be in pole position to trade for Mitchell, but they failed to get a deal over the line, and the Cavaliers pounced.
- Stephen A. Smith Was Desperate For The Knicks To Land Donovan Mitchell
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The Knicks are now left to rue the fact that they yet again missed out on acquiring a star after famously missing out on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving back in 2019. While Mitchell is nowhere near the other two in stature, he was still a big name who could have helped elevate the franchise, and he’ll now do that for the Cavaliers.
Stephen A. Smith Was Desperate For The Knicks To Land Donovan Mitchell
Like almost every other Knicks fan, Stephen A. Smith was also in despair after Mitchell was traded to the Cavaliers. He blasted the Knicks for failing to trade for Donovan and recently went more into detail as to why he was so desperate to see Mitchell on the Knicks.
Why is @stephenasmith so upset about the Knicks missing out on the Donovan Mitchell sweepstakes??
He breaks it down with @thefrankisola and @scalabrine pic.twitter.com/W7YJT641Nh
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) September 2, 2022
“The New York Knicks blew it again, that’s what the point is. I understand what you’re saying from a basketball standpoint Scal, (but) I’m not talking about the Knicks giving up 5 or 6 picks or anything like that, that’s not what I’m saying.”
“My issue is this. Donovan Mitchell may not be a superstar but he is a star. He is a career 23 points per game scorer. He is good for 25 a night at this point in his career. He ain’t 35, he is 25 years of age and he is a star, he’s a bona fide star. Maybe not a superstar but he is a star and the New York Knicks and MSG definitely need that, because you have to have somebody that says ‘I want to be here.’ so you can have a shot at attracting others who may want to come here. This is not just about basketball, it’s about resurrecting a franchise and making sure that they are relevant again and making it be deemed a place that people want to go to.”
Smith does make a good point here that the Knicks need some star power as a means to attract more of them to come there. Still, giving up too many assets for Mitchell wouldn’t have been ideal, so it is tough to be very critical of them in this instance.
They’ll, for now, move forward with RJ Barrett, who recently signed a long-term extension, and Jalen Brunson, who was their prized free agent acquisition. For the sake of Knicks fans everywhere, these two can hopefully lead the team to the playoffs, but the Eastern Conference has gotten a lot stronger, with the Cavaliers just being the latest example of that.
