One of the NBA’s worst-kept secrets is that Donovan Mitchell wanted to be in a bigger market. It started when he was in Utah, a prominent team in the very competitive Western Conference. Eventually, Utah grew impatient with the duo of Mitchell and Rudy Gobert and decided to break them apart. He was part of arguably the worst trade of NBA history, with a largely unjustifiable return to Utah for Gobert. Minnesota sent over Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverly (bought out, signed with Lakers.), Walker Kessler, Leandro Bolmaro, Jarred Vanderbilt, a 2023 first-round pick, a 2025 first-round pick, a 2026 pick swap, a 2027 first-round pick and a 2029 first-round pick.

For Mitchell, it was a different story. He was held out in the trade market for a while before being traded to Cleveland. For a while, even for Mitchell, everyone thought that Mitchell would end up in New York. There wasn’t a doubt in the people’s minds about this. The Knicks thought they had the Jazz in a corner, that they were the only team that could make an effective trade for Mitchell. However, and unfortunately for Knicks fans, that was not the case. Mitchell was traded to Cleveland for Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji, Collin Sexton, three first-round picks, and two pick swaps.

It’s important to note that Mitchell is from New York. He grew up in New York and wanted to get drafted to his hometown. After the Knicks passed on him, he was upset but was still happy to be part of the NBA draft. Fast forward to his final days in Utah, the Knicks had the best package to trade for him, and it seemed like a done deal. RJ Barrett and Quintin Grimes would be going to Utah with some picks in exchange for Mitchell. However, trade talks died after the Knicks gave Utah an ultimatum. They gave a specific date and time and waited for Utah to make a move, or they would move on and sign Barrett to a five-year deal.

Final Thoughts

Grimes has done more for the Knicks this year than most rookies in this league, so I understand why the Knicks wouldn’t do this deal. It was already a deal where they felt like they were giving too much offensive threat. However, regardless if they threw in Grimes or Quickly, I would have been upset with the deal. There’s no reason to trade for Mitchell when the Knicks know he wants to play in Madison Square Garden. They can continue to retain their good young core and eventually add Mitchell to the lineup in free agency. So, will Mitchell end up with the Knicks? Yes, I don’t think anyone is stopping him at this point.