If Donovan Mitchell is made available for trade offers by the Utah Jazz, one serious suitor for the rising shooting guard could be the New York Knicks. Mitchell is a key operator for the Jazz and for the Knicks to get their hands on him, the price to pay will be quite steep.
The Utah guard, before contracting COVID-19 and recovering from the virus, showcased how important he is in the Jazz roster. His stats in the regular season serve as the best proof so far of a young and flourishing career, bannered by an impressive 24.2 points per game.
Mitchell also made the cut in the 2020 All-Star game, which is a proof that he now enjoys a rising stature in the NBA. The Jazz, in fact, counts him as a cornerstone player, alongside big man Rudy Gobert. So acquiring the 23-year-old will not be cheap, according to Fansided.
For the Knicks to get noticed by the Jazz, they must be willing to send a proposal that will merit a second hard-look, likely consisting of top-performing assets and future picks, said the report, citing the story from Ian Begley of SNY.
"Any Knicks package would probably have to include either RJ Barrett or Mitchell Robinson, and two first-round picks (one of them unprotected)," Begley was reported as saying.
Barrett and Robinson for Mitchell will indeed be a big sacrifice for the Knicks. The two have made a name in the NBA and currently considered as future stars of the league. But there is no denying that the Jazz star is worth the exchange.
He is in his third season campaign, and already, Utah sees the return of the investment made on Mitchell. The young man, working closely with the defensive machine that is Gobert, has powered his team to 41 wins so far.
As a result, the Jazz is regarded as a serious title contender, and for New York, that means getting a peek of a promising future that awaits if Mitchell could be persuaded to join up.
Clutch Points said Utah has no immediate plans of moving out a star like Mitchell so a trade deal could only be triggered by the guard, which to date is not yet in the cards.
However, if events in the past weeks are to go by, Mitchell could seek to play elsewhere to keep a distance between him and Gobert. Reports said the two are feuding and the chance is little for a reconciliation.
At the start of the coronavirus pandemic in America, Gobert acted carelessly about the COVID-19 spread and it turned out that he and Mitchell were infected. The antics did not sit well with Mitchell and his spat with the big man might just convince him to look for a new home, which should be a signal for the Knicks.
