Getty Donovan Mitchell, New York Knicks
As has been the case on 17 different occasions over the last 22 years, the New York Knicks saw themselves coming away from the 2021-22 campaign with a losing record.
After nabbing the 4 seed in the Eastern Conference standings and going on to host a playoff series just the year before, Julius Randle and company came back down to earth with a truly mediocre showing in their follow-up run.
Now, as we approach 2022-23, it’s evident that New York is looking to make last season a one-off event for the newly established Tom Thibodeau regime, as the front office has been busy trying to re-tool their rotation to better position themselves for another postseason bid.
With the savvy additions of both Jalen Brunson and Isaiah Hartenstein, coupled with the major re-signing of Mitchell Robinson the Knicks have already managed to better position themselves to achieve a greater level of success this coming year.
That said, as has been evident for the better part of this offseason, it appears that President Leon Rose is looking to make one more major splash before the summer comes to a close.
Easily the biggest player reportedly on the trade block not named Kevin Durant, Jazz star Donovan Mitchell has been a name linked to the Knicks all offseason long and, per Fred Katz of The Athletic, the franchise strongly believes that “no one is coming close to them” when it comes to potential trade packages.
However, despite this confidence, recent rumblings suggest that the two parties are rather far apart when it comes to actually executing a deal, and The Athletic’s Shams Charania even stated in a July 29 appearance on The Rally that negotiations have “stalled.”
Clearly, the valuation of talent differs considerably between both New York and Utah but there’s still optimism that a deal can eventually be worked out, and Sport Illustrated’s Patrick Byrne believes that a “fair” exchange could wind up looking something like this:
Honestly, a fair trade would be Mitchell to New York in exchange for four unprotected first-round picks, and a pick swap, along with Quentin Grimes or Immanuel Quickley, and Obi Toppin. Fillers would be added to make the money work, but this feels about right.
It’s closer to the Gobert trade than Murray’s, but Mitchell is the most valuable asset of the three.
Some Jazz fans will think that’s not enough, but by waiting, you’re taking on more risk than reward. The compensation in the Gobert trade was an anomaly, and this 2023 draft class is too good to postpone the tank for a year.
Knicks fans also need to remove their rose-colored glasses when it comes to Grimes, Quickley, and Toppin. They’re great prospects with room to develop on rookie deals, but in comparison, Mitchell is in a class all by himself. The Jazz would be taking on more risk.
Again, to Byrne, this proposal is not focused on seeing one team winning while another team loses. Rather, it’s all in an effort to see a fair deal involving the All-Star go down.
Knicks Are Hesitant to Part Ways With Grimes
The option that Byrne included involving either Quentin Grimes or Immanuel Quickley into the deal actually makes this proposal a bit more plausible, as New York seems reluctant to include the former in a package for the likes of Mitchell.
In an August 5 episode of the HoopsHype podcast, The Athletic’s Tony Jones went on record and stated that the Knicks are skeptical about specifically adding both Grimes and veteran guard Derrick Rose in a trade.
“The Knicks don’t want to unload Derrick Rose. He’s long been a favorite of Tom Thibodeau. I know the Knicks want to hang onto him and Grimes. Those guys are priorities,” Jones said during the episode.
Though Quickley may be a fan favorite, considering he was not reported as being a “priority” like his two aforementioned teammates were, it’s more than likely that he’d be heading out to Salt Lake City should a Mitchell deal actually come to fruition.
Knicks Are Open to Trading Obi Toppin
Quite the opposite of their stance on Grimes and Rose, it appears that New York is rather open to the idea of including third-year big, Obi Toppin, in a trade for Utah’s star guard.
In an August 3 interview with ESPN 700 Tony Jones again was found discussing the Knicks and Donovan Mitchell and mentioned that the 24-year-old power forward is someone that the front office would be willing to include in an outbound package.
“I can tell you that the Knicks are amenable to giving the Jazz Obi Toppin, who’s a really young and high-energy, high-ceiling power forward, but Quentin Grimes is a major sticking point at this point.”
A player who just 2 years ago was taken 8 overall by the Knicks, Toppin has shown flashes of becoming a truly dominant force in this league, especially during his stints in the starting lineup last season where he averaged 20.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and just shy of a block on 57% shooting from the floor and 43% shooting from deep.
Though in New York he’s predominantly been used as a reserve due to the team’s commitment to Julius Randle, on Utah perhaps he could finally be utilized as a legitimate franchise building block and receive more consistent time on the hardwood.