Getty Jimmy Butler dribbling against the New York Knicks.
The New York Knicks interest in Donovan Mitchell will always be a thing. The front office has long been interested in Mitchell and while Jalen Brunson has been a star for this franchise, Mitchell would play right next to him. Two small guards could be an issue defensively, but from the sound of things in the past, the Knicks aren’t worried about that. If Mitchell becomes available, they’re going after him.
According to recent reports from Marc Stein’s substack, the Miami Heat are interested in Mitchell.
“The Miami Heat, league sources say, continue to have bona fide interest in Mitchell despite Cleveland’s don’t-even-call-us approach and could well choose to test that resolve with Mitchell proposals after Miami’s trade pursuits of Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard over the summer ended with neither player landing on South Beach.”
The team structures favor Miami here as Mitchell could play the way he wants, which is mostly with the ball in his hands. In New York, he’d share the ball a ton with Jalen Brunson. It’s also tough to say no to Miami if that ends up being the case. Mitchell has been interested in New York, but that doesn’t mean Miami won’t excite him.
The Knicks Will Be Interested in Donovan Mitchell
Whenever the day comes that Mitchell is available again, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported in December 2023 that the Knicks are going to be among the teams interested in the 4-time All-Star.
“And yet part of the calculus behind paying Utah’s exorbitant price to deal Mitchell was the potential to recoup at least some of the outgoing assets the small-market Cavaliers burned to bring in an All-NBA guard with designs on playing in New York,” Yahoo’s Jake Fischer wrote. “If the Cavaliers were to put Mitchell on the block tomorrow or in February before the trade deadline or next offseason, there would be a long line of suitors, the Knicks surely among them, willing to compete for his services with competitive offers.”
The issue, for both Miami and the Knicks, is that the Cleveland Cavaliers are hesitant to move Mitchell. Cleveland has dealt with injuries all season and hasn’t had a chance to evaluate what this team can be when healthy. When they were healthy for parts of the 2022-23 season, they were one of the top teams in basketball.
Donovan Mitchell Wants to Play in New York
When these rumors surfaced at the end of December, Mitchell was asked about them. He made it known that he’s focusing on the Cavaliers, but many reports have indicated he wants to play for the Knicks.
He’s never come out and directly said he wanted to play for the Knicks or Heat, but there’s been known interest on his end. Mitchell said the following in December, according to Peter Botte of the New York Post:
“My job is to focus on this [team],” Mitchell told reporters this week. “We have two guys that are out, so I’m not answering anything. And no disrespect. I appreciate that you have to ask the question, but I’m not going there with any of those questions. My focus is on these guys being out, us trying to find a way to get wins.”