Scott Perry: Why New York Knicks Didn't Trade For 'Singular Force' Donovan Mitchell
The New York Knicks are set to face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers twice this week, starting with Tuesday's visit to Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG/TNT).
That sets up not only a rematch of last season's five-game Eastern Conference playoff series but a date or two with former (and possibly current) trade target Donovan Mitchell. New York nearly acquired Mitchell from the Utah Jazz a year ago but he was ultimately dealt to the Cavaliers for a huge haul headlined by Lauri Markkanen.
Scott Perry, the Knicks general manager at the time of the trade, spoke about the Mitchell sweepstakes on "The Hoop Genius" podcast and explained why the team didn't make more of a push to acquire the All-Star guard.
Donovan Mitchell (45) was heavily involved in New York trade rumors before he was eventually dealt with the Cleveland Cavaliers
Ken Blaze, USA TODAY SPORTS
"Obviously we made a push to trade for him," Perry said on The Hoop Genius podcast. "But it was going to be done within reason. He was a good player but he needed more around him to win.
"Utah probably would've been in the conference finals if he were that singular force. But he wasn't that singular force. That's not a criticism against him. That's just an evaluation that you must make."
Surrounded by a young core that finished eighth in the Eastern Conference in the preceding season, Mitchell helped lead the Cavs to the fourth seed in the playoffs, the team's first berth without LeBron James on the roster since 1998. But the Cavs proved to be no match for the Knicks, who took the series in five to earn their first playoff advancement in a decade.
Mitchell averaged a career-best 28.3 points per game last season with the Cavs and is off to a hot start already this year, scoring 27 in a season-opening win against the Brooklyn Nets (including the last two via winning buzzer-beater) and dropping 43 in a losing effort against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He did not play in Cleveland's most recent contest, a 125-113 loss to Indiana on Saturday, due to hamstring soreness and is officially listed as questionable for Tuesday's game.
Mitchell now will get a chance to prove to the Knicks that they should have traded for him tonight in Cleveland.
