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Details On Knicks’ Trade Offers For Donovan Mitchell

September 2nd, 2022 at 7:10am CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of the agreement between the Jazz and Cavaliers on a trade that will send Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland, details are trickling in on what the Knicks – long rumored to be Mitchell’s top suitor – offered for the three-time All-Star.

Not every outlet is entirely in alignment on what the Knicks put on the table for Mitchell, but the various reports paint a pretty clear picture of what it would’ve taken for the Jazz to send the 25-year-old to New York. Here’s what a few key national and local reporters are saying:

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:

According to Wojnarowski, before extending RJ Barrett, the Knicks balked at including Quentin Grimes in a package that already featured Barrett, two unprotected first-round picks, the Bucks’ 2025 first-rounder (top-four protected), two second-round picks, two pick swaps, and a pair of expiring contracts from a third team.

When the Knicks wanted to replace Grimes in that package with Immanuel Quickley, the Jazz insisted on a third unprotected first-round pick, which the Knicks weren’t willing to give up, according to Wojnarowski, who says New York would’ve sent Evan Fournier and a first-round pick to a third team in order to spare Utah from having to take on Fournier’s multiyear contract.

Perhaps the most intriguing part of Wojnarowski’s report is his claim that the Knicks made an offer in early July that would’ve included Barrett, Obi Toppin, Mitchell Robinson (via sign-and-trade), and three unprotected first-round picks. When the Jazz turned down that proposal, Robinson re-signed with New York, which took him out of the mix for any further negotiations between the two teams.

Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports:

Goodwill’s intel is similar to Wojnarowski’s — he hears from sources that the Jazz and Knicks got close to a deal that would’ve included Barrett, Grimes, expiring contracts, two first-round picks, the Bucks’ 2025 pick, a pair of pick swaps, and two second-rounders. However, New York felt that price was too steep and decided to extend Barrett instead.

Marc Berman of The New York Post:

One of the Knicks’ last offers to Utah included two unprotected first-rounders and three conditional picks along with Barrett, according to Berman, who says it’s unclear whether the team was offering three unprotected first-rounders in permutations of the deal that didn’t include Barrett.

Berman suggests (via Twitter) that the Knicks withheld Grimes from all of their offers. That’s a little hard to believe, given how many different versions of deals the two sides discussed, but it sounds like New York wasn’t interested in adding the second-year guard as a sweetener to offers that already included Barrett and significant draft capital.

“(The Knicks) thought they had (Jazz CEO Danny) Ainge and Utah over the barrel,” one league source said to Berman. “They held back on best offers of picks and players and Danny got his three unprotected.”

Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News:

Bondy confirms that the Knicks weren’t willing to give up three unprotected first-round picks along with Barrett.

However, he says the team was open to moving any of its top prospects, including Grimes — again, presumably if they were going to include Grimes in certain iterations of their offer, the Knicks would’ve wanted to remove another asset or two.

Ian Begley of SNY.tv:

According to Begley, the Knicks did make offers for Mitchell that included three unprotected first-round picks, but Barrett wasn’t part of those packages.

Begley also reports that the Knicks offered different combinations of players in their proposals that featured two unprotected first-rounders and the Bucks’ lightly protected 2025 pick — some of those offers included Barrett and some didn’t (while Begley doesn’t confirm this, it sounds as if Grimes was probably put into some offers that didn’t include Barrett).

At one point, Begley writes, the Jazz asked for a package that included Barrett, Evan Fournier, three unprotected first-rounders, additional draft picks, and at least one other young Knick player. New York opted not to meet that price.

It’s worth noting that the Knicks themselves are likely to be one of the primary sources leaking these after-the-fact details. The Jazz wouldn’t have much incentive to leak packages that they could’ve had instead of Cleveland’s, whereas the Knicks may be hoping to convey the impression they made a strong play for Mitchell and made fair proposals.

With that in mind, it’s worth taking these reports with a grain of salt — it’s possible a key detail or two is being omitted. Still, there’s a pretty consistent message that the Knicks were, at the very least, willing to trade Barrett, two unprotected first-round picks, and some additional draft compensation for Mitchell.

It will be fascinating to follow the trajectories of Barrett and new Jazz players like Collin Sexton and Ochai Agbaji in the coming years to assess whether Utah made the right call by passing on the Knicks’ offers and pulling the trigger on the Cavs’ deal.

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Lakers Notes: Westbrook, Beverley, Fournier

August 31st, 2022 at 4:05pm CST by Rory Maher

Despite frequent clashes in the past, Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley have been in contact since Beverley was acquired by the Lakers via trade from the Jazz, sources tell veteran reporter Marc Stein (Twitter link), who adds that head coach Darvin Ham has informed the two guards that he plans to utilize them together at times.

A report last week from Jovan Buha of The Athletic indicated that Beverley’s addition made Westbrook’s exit more likely, but Stein reported a few days ago that the Lakers have thus far resisted the Rockets’ approach with John Wall last season, having him sit out despite being healthy.

If that’s the case, it stands to reason that a trade would be the most viable path for L.A. to take with Westbrook’s $47.06MM expiring deal, though finding a taker will be easier said than done at the reported price point.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

  • Steve Popper of Newsday suggests the Lakers might be interested in adding a shooter like Knicks wing Evan Fournier in a potential three-team trade between the Jazz, Knicks and Lakers that would send Donovan Mitchell to New York and Westbrook to Utah. Popper mentions Fournier because he’s been involved in trade talks for salary-matching purposes, but because it isn’t sourced, it might just be speculation on his part. Having said that, the Lakers do need shooting, and Fournier shot 38.9% from beyond the arc last season on high volume (7.7 attempts per game).
  • Could Westbrook be the missing piece in a Mitchell deal between the Jazz and Knicks? Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report explores that topic, floating the possibility of a three-team trade with the Lakers receiving Fournier and Cam Reddish from the Knicks and Bojan Bogdanovic from the Jazz.
  • In case you missed it, the Lakers are reportedly still interested in Reddish after trying to deal for him ahead of the deadline in February, we rounded up some Lakers rumors this morning, and recently examined their pre-camp roster situation as well.
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Knicks Notes: Barrett, Fournier, Mitchell, Pitino

August 23rd, 2022 at 10:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

While it’s clear they’re seeking several first-round picks in exchange for Donovan Mitchell, there have been conflicting reports over which Knicks players the Jazz would prefer in such a deal.

According to SNY TV’s Ian Begley, Utah continues to have strong interest in Knicks wing RJ Barrett. Evan Fournier’s name has also come up in discussions — his contract would certainly facilitate a deal from salary-matching purposes.

The Jazz would also want at least one of the trio of Obi Toppin, Quentin Grimes and Immanuel Quickley, Begley adds.

The Knicks have softened their stance on potentially dealing Barrett, with some of their decision makers willing to part with Barrett in a Mitchell deal, according to Begley’s sources. However, there are several voices of influence in the organization, Begley notes, so it’s no certainty they’d actually give up Barrett.

We have more on the Knicks:

  • Rick Pitino, who coached them in the late ’80s and currently coaches at Iona, said that Mitchell would “love” to wear a Knicks uniform, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. “Donovan loves the Knicks,’’ Pitino said. “Donovan loves being around his mom, sister and dad. Donovan would treasure being a Knick. That being said, things have to work out. I’m hoping, keeping my fingers crossed that he becomes a Knick. It would be very special for me as a coach seeing him in a Knick uniform as an ex-Knick coach.”
  • Barrett is a member of Team Canada, but he won’t play in the World Cup qualifying game against Argentina this week, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News tweets. He’s reluctant to risk taking the court with a potential financial windfall looming. Barrett is eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason.
  • For more info on Mitchell trade talks, click here.
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Knicks Reportedly Offered Fournier, Toppin, Five First-Rounders For Mitchell

August 22nd, 2022 at 9:18am CST by Luke Adams

Since re-engaging with the Jazz in trade talks, the Knicks have made an offer for guard Donovan Mitchell that includes Evan Fournier, Obi Toppin, and five first-round picks, according to Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic.

According to The Athletic’s duo, two of the five first-round picks the Knicks offered were unprotected. Those two picks would have to be New York’s own, since all the extra first-rounders the team has acquired from other clubs have some form of protections on them.

Charania and Jones also report that New York’s offer included “additional salary.” The Knicks would have to add at least one player to Fournier and Toppin in order to match Mitchell’s $30.35MM cap hit — Miles McBride and Cam Reddish are perhaps the most likely candidates to be that additional player.

A report in mid-July, when the Jazz and Knicks first engaged in serious discussions about Mitchell, indicated that Utah was seeking six first-round picks, plus young players like Quentin Grimes and Immanuel Quickley, in exchange for the All-Star guard.

New York appears to have moved toward closing that gap, but Utah will presumably continue to haggle over the protections on the picks as well as the young Knicks players included in the return. The Jazz would probably also rather acquire Derrick Rose and his expiring contract for salary-matching purposes than Fournier and his multiyear deal, but could relent on that point if most of the rest of their asking price is met.

Mitchell remains under contract for at least three more seasons with a player option for 2025/26 and reportedly hasn’t made a trade request, so Utah has conveyed no urgency to move him. However, if the Jazz can secure a return that matches or exceeds the one they got for Rudy Gobert earlier this summer, the expectation is that they’ll pull the trigger.

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More Than 30 NBA Players On Track To Suit Up For EuroBasket

August 18th, 2022 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

The first EuroBasket tournament in five years will tip off in two weeks and there are currently 34 NBA players on track to participate in the event, representing 17 different countries, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net.

EuroBasket is a 24-team international basketball competition also known as the European Basketball Championship. It historically took place every two years, but that gap was recently adjusted to four years, emulating the FIBA World Cup schedule.

The last EuroBasket tournament was played in 2017 — the next one had been scheduled for 2021, but was pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics. As a result, after being played every two years since 1947, it has now been five years since the last EuroBasket tournament, easily the longest layoff since World War II.

It’s possible that some NBA players will be cut from their teams’ rosters or will have to drop out due to injuries or personal reasons before the event begins on September 1, but in general enthusiasm to participate in the long-awaited event appears high.

Here’s the list of NBAers currently set to play in EuroBasket, per Eurohoops:

There are also multiple NBA free agents on EuroBasket rosters, including French swingman Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and German guard Dennis Schröder.

A number of young NBA players, such as 2022 draftees Jeremy Sochan and Nikola Jovic, have dropped out to focus on getting ready for the 2022/23 season, while others, including Bogdan Bogdanovic (Serbia) and Frank Ntilikina (France), were ruled out due to injuries.

Round robin play will begin on September 1, with each team facing the other five clubs in its group once. The top four teams in each group will advance to a 16-team bracket that begins on September 10. The final will take place on September 18, just over a week before NBA training camps get underway.

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Atlantic Notes: Brunson, Grimes, Brown, Williams, Maxey

August 13th, 2022 at 8:24am CST by Dana Gauruder

Who’s the best backcourt partner for Jalen Brunson on the current Knicks roster? According to analytics expert Joseph Gill in an interview with SNY TV’s Ian Begley, Quentin Grimes is the best fit alongside the high-priced free agent acquisition. Grimes is a legitimate threat to space the floor and he doesn’t turn the ball over very often. That makes him a better pairing with Brunson’s skill set than Evan Fournier, RJ Barrett or Immanuel Quickley, in Gill’s estimation.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

  • What would a Jaylen Brown extension look like? Keith Smith takes a deep dive into that subject in a Spotrac article. With two years left on his current contract, the Celtics wing is eligible to sign a three-year deal this offseason. He could wait until after next season and sign a Designated Veteran Extension or after the 2023/24 season and ink a Designated Veteran contract if he meets certain criteria. He could also sign with Boston or another team as a free agent in 2024.
  • Grant Williams has communicated with Brown regarding the trade rumors involving the Nets and Kevin Durant and says Brown is handling it well, Matt John of Heavy.com relays. “I feel like JB is mature in his mindset, and he knows that. I talk to him, texted him, reach out of as often as I can,” Williams said. “It’s one of those things. It’s the league. It’s a business. It’s one of those things that you can’t be discouraged by because we love JB. It also shows how valuable he is.”
  • Developing even greater offensive chemistry with Joel Embiid and getting selected to the All-Star team would be aspects of a best-case scenario for Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey in 2022/23, Kyle Neubeck of Phillyvoice.com writes. Not living up to increased expectations would be part of a worst-case scenario for Maxey next season.
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Knicks Notes: Tampering, Brunson, Wright, Fournier, Rose, Mitchell

July 23rd, 2022 at 8:29am CST by Dana Gauruder

There is a strong possibility the NBA will open up a tampering investigation into the Knicks’ recruitment of Jalen Brunson, according to The Athletic’s Fred Katz. A rival team doesn’t necessarily need to file official tampering charges to make it happen, considering that reports of an agreement between the Knicks and Brunson surfaced before the two sides could negotiate. The Knicks also made salary-shedding moves with the confidence Brunson would come aboard if they opened up enough cap room.

We have more on the Knicks:

  • Brunson’s college coach, Jay Wright, said the former Villanova star will embrace the pressure of playing in New York City, Zach Braziller of the New York Post writes. “He is very comfortable in having all that pressure on him,” Wright said of Brunson. “When Luka [Doncic] was out, he was very comfortable taking on that responsibility in the playoffs. But he’s really smart and he really knows that he needs good players around him, too. His basketball IQ is off the charts. He will look at the game like a coach and a general manager. His ego doesn’t get in the way. But he’ll never shy from the responsibility. He loves it.”
  • If the Knicks don’t trade RJ Barrett or Julius Randle in a blockbuster deal for Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, then either Derrick Rose or Evan Fournier would have to be dealt for salary-matching purposes. SNY TV’s Ian Begley looks at potential combinations of players that the Knicks could send out to Utah.
  • Mitchell may be one of the top 10 offensive talents in the league but he’s not considered a top-10 player overall due to his defensive shortcomings. The Ringer’s Dan Devine explores whether Mitchell is the right star for the Knicks to pursue.
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Jazz Reportedly Asking Knicks For Three Players, Six First-Rounders In Mitchell Talks

July 15th, 2022 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks are pursuing a trade for Donovan Mitchell, but they’re balking at Utah’s current asking price, Tony Jones of The Athletic said in an interview with ESPN 700 in Salt Lake City (hat tip to Real GM).

According to Jones, the Jazz want Quentin Grimes, Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin in the deal, along with six future first-round picks. Jones said New York “backed away” from that proposal.

The Knicks have been stockpiling assets in hopes of landing a major star and currently own 11 first-round selections over the next seven years. They can part with up to eight of those first-rounders in a trade, notes Steve Popper of Newsday, but he wonders how many the organization would be willing to surrender, especially if it’s also giving up young talent.

Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune confirms that the Jazz are seeking a large return of draft assets from New York, along with players on rookie contracts, and he identifies Grimes as “perhaps the lead target” among players who could be included in the deal. Larsen adds that the Knicks don’t want to give away that much of their future, but they made a “significant” counter to Utah’s offer.

Multiple sources tell Larsen that RJ Barrett, the third pick in the 2019 draft, wasn’t part of the trade talks. Barrett is eligible for an extension to his rookie contract this offseason, and Utah isn’t eager to take on that expense.

The Jazz would have to take back at least one sizeable contract from New York to match Mitchell’s $30.35MM salary for next season. That probably won’t be Julius Randle ($23.76MM in 2022/23), according to one of Larsen’s sources, who says that Evan Fournier ($18MM) or Derrick Rose ($14.52MM) is more likely to be included.

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Knicks Among Teams To Inquire On Dejounte Murray

June 29th, 2022 at 2:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks are among the teams to inquire on Dejounte Murray and express interest in the Spurs‘ All-Star guard, reports Ian Begley of SNY.tv.

Marc Stein previously reported of a belief that the Knicks could try to make a run at Murray, while Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report stated that league personnel began to mention Murray on Tuesday as New York’s next possible target.

The Knicks are still considered the strong frontrunners to sign Jalen Brunson in free agency, so the idea would be to acquire Murray in addition to Brunson, rather than in place of him. As Begley explains, some members of the organization are concerned about what a backcourt duo of Brunson and Evan Fournier would look like on defense and have discussed the potential fit of Brunson and Fournier.

While Murray’s defensive ability would make him a strong match alongside Brunson on that end of the court, it’s worth noting that he was the lead ball-handler in San Antonio this past season, with his usage rate increasing to a career-high 27.3%. As Fischer wrote earlier today, the Knicks are reportedly pitching Brunson on running the show in New York after he spent four years sharing point guard duties with Luka Doncic, so acquiring Murray may be at odds with that plan.

The Spurs are said to be seeking at least three or four first-round picks in any deal involving Murray, and the Knicks are well positioned to offer draft assets. New York has all of its own future first-round selections, plus protected 2023 first-rounders from Detroit, Washington, and Dallas, as well as a protected 2025 first-rounder from Milwaukee.

The Hawks have been the team most frequently linked to Murray as of late, while the Wizards are also reportedly among the clubs to inquire.

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Knicks Rumors: Robinson, Fournier, Reddish, Randle, Murray

June 29th, 2022 at 8:25am CST by Luke Adams

After Marc Stein reported last week that there were “strong rumblings” about the Knicks‘ plan to sign center Mitchell Robinson to a new multiyear contract, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report follows up on that story today, confirming Stein’s report.

According to Fischer, there’s a belief that Robinson will receive a new four-year deal from the Knicks that approaches $60MM in total earnings. It’s unclear whether that amount would be fully guaranteed or would include incentives, but it would be a nice payday for a four-year veteran who has been earning the minimum salary since entering the NBA.

Because he was on a minimum-salary contract, Robinson has a minuscule cap hold, allowing the Knicks to keep it on their books without compromising their newly-created cap room. New York have the ability to use up that cap room – likely to sign Jalen Brunson – and then go over the cap to re-sign Robinson using his Bird rights.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

  • Despite having agreed to move Kemba Walker, Alec Burks, and Nerlens Noel, the Knicks may not be done making trades. They’re still gauging the market for Evan Fournier and Cam Reddish, according to Fischer.
  • Meanwhile, Fred Katz of The Athletic said in the latest episode of Seth Partnow’s Callin Shots podcast that the Knicks have also gauged Julius Randle‘s value on the trade market, though Katz doesn’t expect the veteran forward to be on the move this summer, as R.P. Salao of ClutchPoints.com relays.
  • Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack article that even if the Knicks land Brunson, there’s a belief they could try to make a run at Spurs guard Dejounte Murray or another player of Murray’s caliber using their collection of draft assets. Fischer agrees, suggesting that Murray began to be mentioned by league personnel on Tuesday as New York’s next target. However, Fischer notes that would seem at odds with the Knicks’ pitch to Brunson that he’d have the opportunity to run the show at point guard.
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