Utah Jazz Receive: F Julius Randle, G Alec Burks
New York Knicks Receive: C Rudy Gobert
Some may question the New York Knicks’ logic in acquiring a defensive star at the expense of their only offensive star. Tom Thibodeau is probably not one of those people.
The Knicks’ head coach’s affinity for defense is the stuff of legends. True, in an offensively oriented league, it’s more important to have a catalyst on that end.
Still, the Knicks become a more attractive free-agent destination with an All-World defensive anchor. The Knicks may be working backward here, but that doesn’t mean they can’t get the equation right.
Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz are opting to retool with this trade. There’s no way they’re moving Mitchell if they’re bringing in Randle. In spite of his 2021-22 troubles, he’d give Mitchell the most dynamic offensive partner he’s had in Salt Lake City to date.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Utah Jazz Rapidly Approaching Time To End Mitchell, Gobert Era
Whether Gobert is even on the trade market is to be determined. If he is, it doesn’t necessarily tell us whether that means Mitchell is content in Salt Lake City or not. The future of this Utah Jazz club is extremely hard to read at the moment.
The same holds true for the Knicks. If both of these teams are looking for a major shakeup this offseason, either of these scenarios feel perfectly plausible.
