Getty Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell during a game against the Golden State Warriors in January.
The New York Knicks have made some good moves this offseason to the point where adding Donovan Mitchell would just be the cherry on top.
Of course, many fans would love to see that cherry added, especially if it means they can hang onto RJ Barrett. As it turns out, a massive five-team trade proposal floated by Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey would see just that happen.
In this deal, the Knicks would give up Evan Fournier, Quentin Grimes, Cam Reddish and several draft picks, but they’d be able to land a true star in Donovan Mitchell. Additional, they’d be able snag up and coming Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas.
All in all, it’s not a bad deal for the Knicks, but it might be worth knowing how the rest of the teams come out in all this.
Big Trade Proposed
While the Knicks get better in Bailey’s proposed deal, the same can be said for the Lakers and Suns.
The Lakers would see Kyrie Irving wearing purple and gold while also being reunited with LeBron James. The Suns would land Kevin Durant and that would keep them a championship contending team for the foreseeable future.
Here’s how the whole deal looks:
- Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Kyrie Irving, Patrick Beverley* and Dario Saric
- Brooklyn Nets Receive: Mikal Bridges, Talen Horton-Tucker, Cameron Payne, a 2025 first-round pick from Phoenix, a 2027 first-round pick from Phoenix, a 2027 first-round pick from Los Angeles, a 2029 first-round pick from Phoenix and a 2029 first-round pick from New York
- Utah Jazz Receive: Russell Westbrook, Quentin Grimes, Cam Reddish, Evan Fournier, Jae Crowder, Landry Shamet, a 2023 first-round pick from New York, a 2023 first-round pick from Phoenix, a 2025 first-round pick from New York, a 2027 first-round pick from New York and a 2029 first-round pick from Los Angeles
- Phoenix Suns Receive: Kevin Durant and Bojan Bogdanovic
- New York Knicks Receive: Donovan Mitchell and Cam Thomas
The Nets come out of all this with a totally rebuilt roster that will see their two stars shipped out in exchange for a plethora of draft picks and young players.
For the Knicks, landing Thomas would be huge as it’d give the team a strong high-scoring, high-ceiling backup behind Brunson. Giving up Grimes, Reddish and Fournier would be tough decisions, but the Knicks look like they would come out a bit ahead here.
Tough to Pull Off
For starters, Bailey reminds us that since Beverley was traded once already, this trade can’t happen until after August 30, so there’s still a while before a trade of this magnitude can happen unless the point guard just isn’t included.
It would also require several teams to sign off on a deal, and that’s not always a guarantee. For example, Russell Westbrook has been hard to move, and the Jazz taking him on, for even a season, would likely mean they need several other sweeteners. This deal would do that with all the first-round picks, but that might not even be enough for them.
From a fan’s standpoint, it’d be exciting to see a deal like this happen because it’d create a big power shift. The Knicks would likely become a surefire playoff team overnight, the Lakers would be good again, and the Suns would get even better.
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