Knicks in Mitchell Trade Talks with Jazz After Signing Brunson Away from Mavs
The Dallas Mavericks would be having near-perfect offseason had they been able to retain Jalen Brunson in free agency after a fantastic playoff run to the Western Conference finals. However, Brunson chose to leave Dallas for what he believes is a better opportunity for him with the New York Knicks ... and that might remain true, but could a blockbuster trade in the coming days change that perception?
According to a report, the Knicks have opened trade talks with the Utah Jazz for star guard Donovan Mitchell. Utah has already had two big rebuilding dominoes fall this offseason with coach Quin Snyder stepping down and star big man Rudy Gobert being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Trading Mitchell would officially launch the fire sale of the rest of the veteran pieces on Utah's roster.
The Jazz, who saw their NBA title window close this past season with a loss in six games to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs, are focused on obtaining draft picks and younger players who are on rookie-scale deals. Sources say the Jazz have made all of their veteran players available in trade talks, and there are no untouchable players currently on the roster. Guards Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley and Jordan Clarkson have been pursued by teams across the league in recent weeks. – The Athletic
Although Mitchell would undoubtedly make the Knicks better, his addition could force Brunson to alter his plans a little bit. There were a number of reasons Brunson chose to sign with the Knicks, but supposedly, one of those reasons was to get a chance to be "the guy" and run his own team. Brunson outperformed Mitchell in the Mavs' first-round series win over the Jazz last season, but Mitchell is still the superior talent.
If New York acquires Mitchell, Brunson will go back to being second fiddle ... and being second fiddle to Luka Doncic would appear to be more promising than being one to Mitchell, just ask Gobert. Regardless, Brunson will still be his usual, effective self as a member of the Knicks. He just might not be as important to the Knicks in the long run as he originally thought he was.
In the meantime, the Mavs will surely be keeping an eye on what happens with Utah's remaining roster pieces. Could Dallas potentially work out a deal that helps them land both Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic, which would fill two of the team's biggest needs? Stay tuned to DallasBasketball.com throughout the rest of the week for more on that specific trade scenario and a handful of other possibilities as well.
