The New York Knicks have officially failed to land hometown hero Donovan Mitchell in a trade from the Utah Jazz. Danny Ainge in Utah decided that the trade offer made by the Cleveland Cavaliers that brought them Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji, and 5 first-round picks was better than anything the Knicks had to offer.
The Knicks exhausted every option they could have with the Jazz holding them to an extremely high asking price. The Cavs have somewhat met that by giving Utah a 20-point scorer in Sexton who can recover his value there, a 2022 draft pick in Agbaji, and a solid scorer in Markkanen, along with the 5 picks of which 3 are unprotected.
Despite the Knicks avoiding what could have been a massive overpay for Mitchell, the fanbase is furious at the missed opportunity. With Jalen Brunson being their only major offseason addition, fans are not happy with how this turned out. One fan, in particular, was seen smashing a photocopier with a baseball bat after the news.
Donovan news isn't going too well in NYC 🤣 https://t.co/t8ZH7mvVi6
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 1, 2022
Destroying a photocopier may be excessive but the Knicks did lose out on the chance to have a very strong team for the upcoming season. For a franchise that has been treading water the entire 2000s, adding Mitchell and pushing for the top of the East would have been a major win.
The Knicks still have heaps of assets to sit on and wait for other players to be available later on. Mitchell would have been a great story considering his links to the city but this move could pay off in a few months if the Knicks can snag a disgruntled star off the trade market.
We still don’t know how Jalen Brunson will impact the team on the court so it may be better for the Knicks to understand what they need to send instead of going for Mitchell just because he was the only star available. Fans are upset now but should be optimistic about the future with the assets that the Knicks still have for other trades.
