Jazz say frustration with Knicks did not impact Donovan Mitchell trade

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst previously said that New York’s extension of RJ Barrett—a potential centerpiece in a Mitchell-to-Knicks deal—created “an incredible amount of animus between the two organizations.”

For months, the Knicks were viewed as a strong favorite to land Donovan Mitchell, after the Jazz made the guard available following the blockbuster trade of Rudy Gobert to the Timberwolves.

Mitchell is a New York native, and the Knicks had a fairly significant number of potential assets to swap for the three-time All-Star.

Instead, the Jazz sent Mitchell to the Cavaliers for Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen and Ochai Agbaji, three unprotected first-round draft picks in 2025, ’27 and ’29, and two pick swaps in 2026 and ’28. The deal seemed smaller than the one that they could have received from the Knicks, leading to some speculation that Utah refused to deal with New York.