The New York Knicks approached this summer, looking to go big game hunting. They moved some money (and contracts) around to free up the space to sign point guard Jalen Brunson, who is easily the best player to change teams in NBA Free Agency this summer. They did so while keeping the cupboard stocked for the next big move.
The Utah Jazz looked hard in the mirror this offseason, and they didn’t like what they saw. A team that perennially won regular season games but couldn’t hack it in the playoffs against the best of opponents. They made the decision to tear things down, by trading Rudy Gobert for a host of picks and making it known that their other star, Donovan Mitchell, was available for trade.
The New York Knicks are looked at as the inevitable landing spot for Donovan Mitchell. What is holding up the trade and why hasn’t it happened yet?
The Jazz and the Knicks did, and do, appear to be on a collision course. A big-market team overflowing with draft assets trying to win now? A team willing to trade its star for draft picks? It was seemingly a match made in heaven.
Yet even now, weeks later, no traction on a trade has publicly occurred. Everyone agrees that the Knicks are by far the front-runners for Mitchell, but no deal has been consummated. Why is that? Assuming that the Jazz do indeed want to trade Mitchell, and the Knicks do indeed want him, here are three hang-ups that have slowed this process down.