Getty Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat greets Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz after the game at American Airlines Arena.
The New York Knicks have been eyeing Donovan Mitchell all offseason and, to most, they are viewed as the clear favorites to land him should the Utah Jazz opt to trade him away.
However, considering his star status and the fact that he’s still only 25 years old, there are bound to be several other teams heavily in pursuit of the guard, especially now that the Kevin Durant drama has been resolved.
After having requested a trade from Brooklyn back on June 30, it was reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that more than half of the teams in the NBA contacted Sean Marks and company with inquiries about the superstar’s availability.
Fast forward nearly two months later and it seems that the situation between Durant and the Nets has rectified itself, as the two parties have come to a mutual agreement to work together in hopes of winning a championship this upcoming season.
Now, while this is all well and good for Brooklyn, there could be trouble afoot for the Knicks as MSG Network studio analyst and 98.7 ESPN’s sports talk radio host Alan Hahn recently shared on his TikTok account that he believes those who were once looking to acquire Kevin Durant could now pivot towards a pursuit of Donovan Mitchell.
“You see that Durant now is staying in Brooklyn, so that market has suddenly been eliminated,” Hahn said. “There could be teams–Miami, Toronto–that were setting themselves up just in case a deal could be done for Kevin Durant.
“And, perhaps now with him off the table, these teams might contact the Jazz and say ‘alright, what’s it going to take to get Donovan Mitchell?’ And that’s when things get real interesting.”
Hahn would later go on to list three teams, in specific, that he thinks “should be watched” as possible threats to enter into a chase for the perennial All-Star alongside the New York Knicks.
“I would watch Miami only because it’s Miami. I would watch Toronto because Masai Ujiri is always a guy who’s willing to make a move to upgrade his team. He’s very aggressive. I would watch them. I would watch Cleveland. They have Collin Sexton. They don’t have him. Very interesting guard set-up there.”
When it comes to Cleveland, Hahn very well may have been insinuating that the team could re-sign their 2018 lottery pick in Sexton, who is currently a restricted free agent, and subsequently ship him off to Utah in a hypothetical trade for Mitchell.
Knicks Must Improve Offer to Land Mitchell
After reports surfaced that the New York Knicks and Utah Jazz have re-engaged in trade negotiations, per The Atheltic’s Shams Charania and Tony Jones, there have been rumblings about several trade conversations that have taken place, most recently one that involved Evan Fournier, Obi Toppin, and five future first-round picks potentially heading to Salt Lake City.
Needless to say, this well falls short of CEO Danny Ainge’s asking price, particularly when it comes to the draft capital and, as a result, the deal was inevitably rejected.
With this, it’s evident that if New York wishes to actually acquire Mitchell, they’re going to have to up their ante in trade talks considerably, and even fans of the franchise have gone about and shared this opinion via social media.
Jalen Rose Blasts Jazz’s Asking Price
Though some believe Utah’s desired asking price of seven first-round picks and several quality young prospects is a valid ask, some have gone about and deemed it as a bit “wild.”
Just recently, in fact, former NBA star and once upon a time Knick Jalen Rose sounded off on New York’s current pursuit of Donovan Mitchell in an August 23 episode of his ESPN show, Jalen & Jacoby.
“If you’re the Knicks, you’re going to give up so much capital to acquire him. Quickley, who’s a really good young guard. Toppin, who’s continuing to develop as a frontcourt player, athlete who can now shoot threes. Both of those are productive players,” Rose said.
“They have the opportunity to possibly grow to be starters. So to give up them and four first-round picks. One, two, three, four first-round picks, I think that’s too steep.”