New York Knicks: Pros And Cons Of Trading For Donovan Mitchell
One of the biggest NBA offseason storylines lately has been the Utah Jazz possibly trading their star player Donovan Mitchell. The Jazz seems to be in full rebuilding mode after trading away their other All-Star in Rudy Gobert and perhaps doing the same with Mitchell as well.
So there have been teams looking to trade for Donovan. The team that looks like the favorites to land him is the New York Knicks. The Knicks have a boatload of first-round picks and many young proven assets to work out a blockbuster trade for Mitchell. But is it worth giving up so many pieces for just Mitchell?
Here are the pros and cons of the Knicks trading for Mitchell.
Pros of Acquiring Mitchell
Plain and simple. By acquiring Mitchell, the Knicks will finally get that star player they’ve been chasing for years. The Knicks have failed to land that big fish that can star for them at Madison Square Garden.
But if they can acquire Mitchell, the Knicks will have star power for the first time since they traded for Carmelo Anthony 10 years ago. We know that the NBA is a star league, and you need star players to contend. Mitchell will not only be that star player at MSG, but he will make the Knicks relevant and competitive again, just like he did for the Jazz.
Mitchell is one of the best scorers in the game today, averaging 25 points a game. He can score from anywhere. He can hit the outside shot and is one of the most explosive players in the game when driving to the lane. Mitchell may be undersized as a shooting guard at 6’1 but he plays above the rim with his leaping prowess.
His scoring will give opposing defenses pressure and he will also take pressure off the other Knicks scorers like R.J. Barrett (assuming he’s not traded), Julius Randle, and newly acquired Jalen Brunson.
Mitchell is also only 25 years old and entering his prime. And he won’t be a free agent until 2026.
Mitchell may not make the Knicks championship contenders overnight. But he will pave the way for other stars to want to come and play for the Knicks in the future. These days, superstars want to go play for a contender or a team with already one star. Donovan’s presence will entice other star players to want to play with him.
Lastly, Mitchell is a native New Yorker who’s familiar with New York City. He’s also a diehard New York Mets fan and his father currently works for them as the Director of Player Relations. Mitchell has already been spotted at several Mets games and even a few New York Rangers playoff games. So the Knicks would acquire someone who’s familiar with NY and would embrace playing there.
Cons of Acquiring Mitchell
Anytime you trade for a star player, you will have to give up a lot. And this will be no exception in acquiring Mitchell. Even if Barrett is not included in the trade, the Knicks will still have to give up many first-round picks plus some players on their current squad. The Jazz could be interested in young assets, like Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes, and Cam Reddish.
The Knicks have 8 first-round picks in the next several years, but the Jazz would probably want at least 5 or 6 of them. Giving up that many will lower the team’s depth and really affect their future down the stretch.
The Knicks might have to pull a similar feat on Mitchell as they did with Anthony back in 2011. The Knicks gave up way too much for him in multiple first-round picks and some young assets in Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, and Timofey Mozgov. Even though none of those names became star players, they were all still solid complementary pieces. The Knicks only had one great season under Melo in 2013 (won 54 games) but losing a lot of depth and future draft picks in the Melo trade set them back.
There’s no questioning Mitchell’s offensive game. But his defense leaves much to be desired, especially with his small 6’1 frame.
Final Thoughts
In order for the Knicks to finally be relevant again, they need to first acquire star power. Mitchell will provide that, and he can perhaps lead the way for other star players to come play at MSG.
But you also need depth and continuity and giving up a lot for Mitchell, could affect that as well.
The New York Knicks need a star player like Mitchell, but they must be smart in how much they’ll give up for him. It will be interesting to see how they maneuver.
