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The New York Knicks failed in their pursuit of Donovan Mitchell, and the former Utah Jazz guard was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
It’s a tough blow for the Knicks because now they will have to face Mitchell more often now that he’s in the Eastern Conference, and he’ll help the Cavs make a massive leap, something New York wanted for themselves.
Now the attention has to shift to rotational players like Mitchell’s former Jazz teammate, or the Knicks can bank on the development of their young stars.
There are a lot of reasons the Knicks trade fell through, and Hall of Famer turned NBA analyst Charles Barkley reveals the asking the price might’ve just been way too high for the Knicks to match. He says this information comes directly from high-ranking Knicks executive William Wesley, better known around the league as World Wide Wes.
Barkley Reveals What World Wide Wes Told Him
Speaking on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Barkley says he had dinner with the Knicks executive and he was given a bit of “inside information.”
As it turns out, that information was the extremely high asking price the Jazz had for Mitchell.
“They wanted my kids, they wanted my grandkids,” Wesley said according to Barkley. “They were just trying to rip somebody else.”
Barkley says the Knicks wanted to get the deal done, but they weren’t willing to meet that high asking price, which is likely why the Jazz went to the Cavs to get a deal done.
The trade has created a lot of turmoil, and Fox Sports analyst Ric Bucher said the Jazz made the deal as a way to spite the Knicks. ESPN analyst Zach Lowe has since shot that report down, but it’s clear some people in New York were rubbed the wrong way about how these talks went down.
No matter what the case is, the Knicks missed out on getting a star, but it’s not the end of the world for the team as they can now go forward without a massive shadow looming over them.
The playoffs are going to be tough for them, but it’s not completely out of the picture for them.
More Development Needed
If the Knicks want to sniff the playoffs again, they’ll need RJ Barrett to take an All-Star leap forward. He has extension so now fans will want to see him play like he deserves it.
The forward has gotten better every season he’s been in the league, but he hasn’t been named to an All-Star team yet.
Former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy thinks the most important part of New York making the playoffs is Julius Randle recapturing his All-NBA form.
“Randle bounce-back is the No. 1 factor and it’s how he addresses last season,” he told the New York Post. “Has he looked inward or he still going to be funky?”
It feels like a long time ago since the Knicks made the playoffs, but they managed to secure the fourth seed of all things just two seasons ago, so it’s not out of reach for them.
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