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The New York Knicks are trying to acquire Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell in a trade, and while they are considered to be the frontrunners, a trade isn’t on the immediate horizon.
Out of all of the teams trying to acquiring the star, the Knicks seem like the one who can make the best offer considering their stable of young talent along with a plethora of draft picks.
Mitchell has been fanning the fires all offseason, and an appearance at famed Rucker Park in New York City has done nothing to quiet all of the rumors.
Unsurprisingly, a big crowd came out to watch him play, and it even caught the attention of local New York rapper Fat Joe.
Fat Joe Makes His Plea
Any NBA player going to Rucker Park was always going to draw a crowd, but the fact that Mitchell, somebody who is linked to the Knicks already, showed up there, the crowd was even more excited.
Speaking about the experience, Fat Joe spoke for all Knicks fans when he said he wants to see the Jazz star swap out his Utah jersey for a New York one.
“Oh, this is amazing tonight, I haven’t seen [Rucker] park this exciting in years. It brings back the golden years,” rapper Fat Joe said via FOX5 New York. “I’m just happy. The people out here having a great time. I’m excited. I just seen Tracy Morgan. I may even see Donovan Mitchell — it’s insane. If only he could become a Knick. New York has answered [points to the crowd] they want Donovan Mitchell to be a Knick. You see the people — they out here.”
According to the New York Post, Mitchell gave away a pair of shoes at halftime and was not sporting any Jazz gear at all, but that might not be something that should be read all that much into.
As it stands right now, the Knicks are in active talks to acquire the star, and while talks did stall for a bit, The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Tony Jones revealed talks have reengaged in mid-August.
Latest on Knicks Talks
A lot of developments have come out about the recent trade talks of late, with the most prominent one being Stephen A. Smith revealing the possible asking price.
“Utah didn’t want Julius Randle, from what I’m told,” he said August 17 on SiriumXM Radio. “They don’t want him. The Knicks were willing to unload him. Utah don’t want him. They want RJ Barrett. They want at least six first-round picks.”
The Knicks do have a bunch of draft picks they can offer, but they have to ask themselves if it’d be worth it. Adding Mitchell to the roster right now would probably be enough to get into the playoffs, but a championship would still more than likely be out of reach.
Barrett is blossoming into a player with true star potential, but he’s still a few years away from that it appears. Trading him away for Mitchell would be a direct upgrade, but if he doesn’t move the needle for the Knicks becoming a championship contender, it might not be something worth doing.
New York is clearly excited to bring on Mitchell, but doing so at the expense of the future might not be the best option for them.
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