New York Knicks: 3 reasons a Donovan Mitchell trade hasn’t happened yet

Knicks: 3 reasons Mitchell trade hasn’t happened – Haggling over picks

However much leverage the Knicks and Jazz have, ultimately they will need to land on draft compensation. The Jazz are going to move Mitchell and however many other veterans they can and enter a full rebuild. That means they will need significant draft compensation in return for their young All-Star guard.

The tricky part is that the Jazz spooked the market with the Rudy Gobert trade that saw endless picks and players head back to Utah. If Gobert at his age and on his contract is worth the equivalent of five first-round picks and a couple of young players, how much more will Danny Ainge and the Jazz expect for Mitchell?

The correct answer is that Gobert was an outlier, the result of a general manager pushing all of his chips into the middle for a win-now player. Just like the trade for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett didn’t suddenly open the floodgates, so too will the Gobert trade not elevate trades for stars into the stratosphere.

That all being the case, the Jazz will expect a lot, and the Knicks will be digging in their heels not to give it up more than necessary. Ultimately, the deep chest of picks that the Knicks own will likely be to their detriment, as the Jazz know they can keep pushing for more. Will the final number be five first-round picks? Six? That difference may be the final haggling point for a deal to get done.