The New York Knicks have been trying for weeks, even multiple months, to acquire NBA All-Star Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz via trade. Alas, their efforts went for naught, as the Jazz traded Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Utah will receive Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, who signed a four-year deal as part of the trade, Ochai Agbaji and three unprotected first-round picks along with two pick swaps. It is a package that certainly has people scratching their heads, especially knowing how much the Knicks had to offer.
New York had up to eight first-round draft picks and numerous young players to build a package around. Even if they were unwilling to include Quentin Grimes in a deal, RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley, Cam Reddish and Deuce McBride remained as available pieces.
While Leon Rose was not going to give up all of the team’s assets for Mitchell, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium while making an appearance on The Rally, it certainly sounds like they offered enough.
“They had everything necessary to get a deal done … in their last offer they put on the table RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, two unprotected first-round picks but Danny Ainge and the Utah Jazz wanted more.”
The more that Danny Ainge and Utah were looking for, based on the package that they received from the Cavaliers, was another unprotected first-round pick.
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It is understandable why New York would not include another one as the combination of Barrett and Quickley has to be worth at least one, if not two, first-rounders themselves.
Ric Bucher of FS1 also shared the last offer that the Knicks made and it included even more. The players and picks that Charania reported were also in Bucher’s, but he added specifics on the draft compensation.
The unprotected picks were in 2024 and 2026 and the Knicks included the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2025 first-round pick. Two pick swaps in 2025 and 2027 were included along with two second-round picks.
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The goal of a front office is to make the best deal possible for your franchise. It is hard to say Ainge did that, as Bucher seems to be accurate in his reporting that Ainge would accept a lesser offer out of spite.
