Knicks’ Final Offseason Grade Comes In After Donovan Mitchell Whiff

With the offseason now giving way to the preaseason, the New York Knicks are gearing up for the regular season.

There are still some preseason games to go, but the roster is just about set for the new season, and there were some big moves made by the Knicks in an effort to make the playoffs again after a one year absence.

Jalen Brunson and Isaiah Hartenstein will certainly help in that regard, but not everybody thinks that will be enough for the Knicks.

In a grade of every NBA team’s offseason, Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes gave the Knicks a solid “B” which comes after the failed pursuit of Donovan Mitchell.

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No Mitchell, No Problem

After spending much of the season in pursuit of Mitchell, the Knicks ultimately whiffed and the star guard was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

That move by the Cavs firmly cemented them as a playoff team while the Knicks are left scrambling to get in. Brunson and Hartenstein will help, but it seems like they will still be fighting for a play-in spot instead.

With that said, Hughes does think the Knicks made a lot of good moves, including the extension of RJ Barrett. However, he believes the Mitchell Robinson extension is a head-scratcher.

“There was no good reason to give Mitchell Robinson $60 million, but the Knicks landed Isaiah Hartenstein for two years and $16 million,” he wrote. “Combine the former overpay with the latter bargain, and the center position winds up looking fine from a financial perspective.”

If they are able to stay healthy at the center position, the Knicks will have a good combo there, very unlike last season where they dealt with many injuries.

In giving out the B grade, Buckley notes that some of the previous offseasons were disasters, and this one shouldn’t be viewed in that regard.

“Everyone complaining that the 2022 New York Knicks offseason was just another in a long stretch of buffoonery should keep in mind how royally the organization has botched its summer transactions in years past,” he said.

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Will They Regret Not Getting Mitchell?

The Knicks had the opportunity to bring a true star into New York, but they decided to stand pat with what they have. To be fair, they do boast solid players, including Julius Randle who was just an All-NBA selection two seasons ago.

However, teams that win championships in the NBA usually have an established star on the team, and the Knicks arguably don’t have that. Randle, RJ Barrett and Jalen Brunson are all solid in their own rights, but they haven’t proven they can take a team to the next level.

When Randle was having his breakout year, the Knicks secured the fourth seed and home court advantage in the first round. In the case of Mitchell, he’s frequently led his Utah Jazz deep into the playoffs, but it all came to an end after the team suffered a first-round exit and traded away both Rudy Gobert and Mitchell.

There’s no telling how far the former Jazz guard would’ve been able to lead the Knicks as it would’ve resulted in many of the players on the roster at the moment going to the Jazz. The best thing Knicks fans can do now is see how the Cavs perform with him.

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