The impending breakup of the Utah Jazz was the worst kept secret in the NBA over the last year, but no one was sure what the team would look like once it broke up a talented core following their first round flameout in the playoffs. When the Jazz finally agreed to a Rudy Gobert trade, the returning package told the league all it needed to know about Utah’s future intentions.
Why a Donovan Mitchell trade makes so much sense for Jazz and Knicks
The Knicks’ trade package for Donovan Mitchell is coming into focus.
Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
The Jazz essentially got five first round picks from the Minnesota Timberwolves for Gobert — three of them unprotected, one top-five protected, and Auburn center Walker Kessler who just went No. 22 overall in the 2022 NBA Draft. Yes, there were some veterans in the package as well to match salary (Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, and Patrick Beverly among them), but the Jazz clearly made this particular deal with a long-term rebuild in mind.
The initial reports said the Jazz intended to keep Donovan Mitchell and continue building around him, but it never made much sense given that the rest of the roster was getting torn down around him. Now Utah’s real plan is coming into focus: Mitchell is reportedly on the trade block, and it’s likely going to take a huge package of picks and appealing young players to land him.
It’s no secret that the New York Knicks were going to be interested in Mitchell. Knicks executives were spotted in the stands watching Mitchell during Utah’s first round playoff series (on the opposing team was Jalen Brunson, who signed a $100+ million deal with New York earlier this offseason). Mitchell is from Westchester County, New York. The Knicks have quietly been trading down to amass future first round picks for years, and now those picks could be the foundation of the league’s next big trade.
On Wednesday night, The Athletic reported the Knicks and Jazz are discussing a Mitchell trade. Other teams are in play, but New York is the front-runner. The framework of the deal is already starting to come into focus.
What would a Knicks trade for Donovan Mitchell look like?
Perhaps the most interesting part of the report from The Athletic was a name kept out of the perspective deal: RJ Barrett. Barrett is due for a big extension, and the Jazz must think he doesn’t fit their timeline for a rebuild.
Instead, the one name mentioned in the report was Quentin Grimes, the Knicks’ second-year guard who has been perhaps the best player in all of Las Vegas Summer League. Expect Grimes to be part of the trade. Then start including New York’s future first round picks. The Knicks have a lot of them.
While the deal will likely be expanded, a framework for the trade could look something like this:
- Knicks get: Donovan Mitchell
- Jazz get: Quentin Grimes, Obi Toppin, and Immanuel Quickley.
Throw in Evan Fournier to make the salaries work. Throw in at least two unprotected future first round picks that originally belong to the Knicks, and maybe three first rounders that New York currently owns from other teams.
It works out on the trade machine:
Maybe that’s too much to give up for Mitchell. Utah could only get 1-2 of the Grimes-Quickley-Toppin group instead of all three based on how much draft capital they want in return. But the basic framework makes sense.
The Jazz get to add to their chest of draft picks and pick up some pretty decent young players in the process. Utah can maximize the chances of its own draft pick this year, and shoot for French super prospect Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft. G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson is a hell of a consolation prize if they land at No. 2.
The Knicks have been hunting for a star since hiring Leon Rose to lead the front office. Mitchell is represented by CAA, the same agency Rose used to lead. New York would have a completely overhauled backcourt with Jalen Brunson and Mitchell. RJ Barrett will still be around. It’s possible, or even likely, that Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson will still be there, too. The Knicks also made one of the best sleeper signings of free agency by inking Isaiah Hartenstein to a two-year deal away from the Clippers.
You can debate how the pieces of that Knicks roster actually fit together, but it’s certainly a way, way more talented group than the one that finished 37-45 last year.
At this point, it would be more surprising if Mitchell isn’t traded to the Knicks. It simply makes too much sense from both sides not to happen.
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