The New York Knicks negotiations with the Utah Jazz centered around NBA All-Star Donovan Mitchell got a little more difficult on Tuesday. That was when it was announced that Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets were going to move forward with their partnership. 

While the Knicks weren’t engaged with the Nets in trade talks for Durant, there were a lot of teams around the NBA that were. Those teams, if still in search of an All-Star player, could turn their attention to Mitchell, in turn raising the price the Knicks will have to pay.

New York and Utah seemed to be moving closer to a deal after re-engaging a few weekends ago in fresh trade talks. A lot of negotiation was being done through the media, with offers leaking from both sides.

One or two young guys, two or three unprotected picks and five total with salary filler seemed to be where things were moving toward. The Los Angeles Lakers were also looking to get involved as a third team to land veterans to help strengthen their rotation as a whole.

The scenario in which the Lakers get involved would likely enable the Knicks to move Evan Fournier or Julius Randle. Accomplishing that, while bringing in Mitchell, would be a huge win for the team.

However, there is still some hesitancy from people within the franchise that are concerned the team’s upside will be limited with Mitchell in the mix. If they give up too many assets, they could be stuck in no man’s land as a perennial playoff team but never being more than a second-round exit team.

“Getting from 47 wins to 57 wins—that’s harder than 37 to 47,” a coaching source told Marc Berman.

These are delicate negotiations because they will impact the direction of the franchise for years to come. To get to that true contender status, the Knicks will still need to add some pieces in the coming years.

That would be easier to do with some more draft picks and young players on the roster. If they give into Danny Ainge’s trade demands, they won’t leave themselves with much to make another deal down the road.

Involving the Lakers, who have vowed to LeBron James they will trade their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks if it means upgrading the roster, would be a boon for New York. Those picks would help compensate Utah, hopefully meaning that the Knicks can keep some of their own future assets and maintain their flexibility.

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