Utah Jazz Receive: G Russell Westbrook, 2023 First-Round Pick (NYK), 2023 First-Round Pick (DAL), 2025 First-Round Pick (NYK), 2027 First-Round Pick (NYK), 2027 First-Round Pick (LAL)
New York Knicks Receive: G Donovan Mitchell
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: F Julius Randle, F Bojan Bogdanovic
By including the Utah Jazz in their deal, the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks are both able to get better value for their outgoing pieces.
This is a no-brainer for the Lakers. They’re not getting better value than Randle and Bogdanovic for Westbrook and a distant first-round pick. We’re not even going to risk overthinking it. They’d be much more competitive next season after this deal.
Meanwhile, the Jazz don’t budge here unless Donovan Mitchell demands a trade. If he does, they may take this opportunity to restock the draft cupboard. As it stands, theirs is painfully thin. Five first-round pick goes a long way toward rectifying that.
Finally, the Knicks land the best player in the deal. They’re giving up a lot to get him. Still, they could justify gambling on their ability to land more star players after acquiring Mitchell.
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Consider this a commitment to building through free agency and trades. If that plan pays off, it could do so in a big way.
