‘Mystery Team’ Could Ruin Blockbuster Trade for Knicks

Getty Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies handles the ball ahead of Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz.

Since word broke on July 12 that the Utah Jazz are willing to listen to offers for guard Donovan Mitchell, New York Knicks media has seemingly been working around the clock, pushing out both rumors and reports suggesting that the franchise is high on the idea of striking some sort of blockbuster deal.

And while they view themselves as frontrunners to land the 25-year-old stud, considering his perennial All-Star status, it should come as no surprise that there are several ball clubs other than the Knicks vying for his services.

Throughout the last month, we’ve seen several teams tabbed as being “interested” in trading for Mitchell, with the most prominent organizations being New York, Miami, and Toronto.

However, while there are numerous teams that are publicly inquiring about a trade with the Jazz, per an August 22 episode of ESPN 700’s “The Drive”, host Spence Checketts stated that there’s one club, in particular, interested in the guard that has not yet been named.

When asking Salt Lake Tribune reporter Andy Larsen about who this “mystery team” could be, a few possible franchises wound up being discussed.

“The other obvious interesting one is, like, Sacramento or Orlando,” Larsen said. “Sacramento has been reported a little bit though, I mean, and Orlando hasn’t been. And you know, obviously, Orlando’s got a lot of really good draft picks and [have] a lot of young really good players that it would make sense.

Larsen would later go on to note that all of this is entirely speculative on his part and, in his words, “wishful thinking” when it comes to the teams he went on to mention. He also stated that the Grizzlies could be in play to pursue Mitchell as well.

Both Knicks and Jazz ‘Want This Deal Done’

While Utah may be fielding calls from other organizations, Andy Larsen told Spence Checketts in an August 17 episode on ESPN 700  that he’s “close to 100%” sure that Donovan Mitchell will be traded at some point in the near future, and believes it’s clear that both the Jazz and the Knicks “want this deal done.”

However, in order to make such a move happen both parties must find a middle ground when it comes to what they believe a realistic trade package should look like.

Reports are that Utah’s CEO Danny Ainge is standing strong on his desire to acquire upwards of seven first-round draft picks which, in turn, has “turned off” the Knicks according to Marc Berman of the New York Post.

New York Made Sub-par Offer

Despite Utah’s high asking price, New York is still working tirelessly to try and acquire Donovan Mitchell.

Per an August 22 report by The Athletic’s Shams Charania, league sources have informed him and Tony Jones that Leon Rose and company offered up Evan Fournier, Obi Toppin, additional salary, and five total first-round picks for the star guard.

Needless to say, the Jazz did not accept such a deal and still find themselves in ongoing talks.

While it’s clear that the Knicks are approaching these negotiations by offering low initially, even fans of the franchise understand that, if the team wished to land Mitchell, they must raise the ante quite considerably.