Knicks Steal Jalen Brunson from Mavs; Trade for Jazz Star Donovan Mitchell Next?
It might not have been a "steal of a deal," but the New York Knicks did technically get a steal by convincing Jalen Brunson to leave the Dallas Mavericks on a four-year deal worth $104 million in free agency, including a player option for the fourth year and other incentives. With the Knicks cap space nearly all dried up now, what's the next big move?
Aside from potentially re-signing big man Mitchell Robinson to a long-term deal, which is widely expected to happen, perhaps the Knicks could swing a blockbuster trade for Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell with their newly acquired draft capital.
After losing to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs – a series where newly-acquired Brunson averaged 27.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists on 48/36/85 shooting efficiency through six games – it feels like the full implosion of the Jazz is a matter of 'when' and not 'if.' One domino already fell, as coach Quin Snyder resigned from his position after yet another postseason failure. Now, it's a matter of whether Utah will trade Mitchell, Rudy Gobert ... or perhaps even both this offseason.
The Knicks' interest in Mitchell has been well documented, and now they can put together a pretty respectable trade package for Mitchell if they wanted to. Here's what we think a trade would have to look like to get Mitchell to New York:
Knicks receive: Donovan Mitchell
Jazz receive: Julius Randle, Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley, 2023 first-round pick (via Detroit), 2023 first-round pick (via Dallas), 2025 first-round pick
Although that might seem like a bit of an overpay, that's the kind of trade package teams are looking at if they want to acquire a star like Mitchell, who averages more than 25 points per game. Take Dejounte Murray for example. He's not necessarily a better player than Mitchell, and yet the San Antonio Spurs still essentially got four first-round picks for him (two of them being unprotected).
A potential starting lineup for the Knicks in this scenario would look like: Jalen Brunson, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Fournier, RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson.
