NBA Trade Rumors: The Utah Jazz and New York Knicks have restarted trade talks for Donovan Mitchell.
With a little over a month before the start of NBA training camps, it appears that the air could be ripe for some more blockbuster trades. And while the rest of the league continues to wait on a possible Kevin Durant deal, perhaps a Donovan Mitchel trade may be one that transpires first.
After not much news on that front, however, it appears that the New York Knicks and Utah Jazz are hoping to rekindle talks centered around Mitchell. That’s what The Athletic’s Shams Charania is reporting.
While the Knicks and Jazz are reopening talks for Mitchell, that doesn’t mean there’s any deal that’s close.
The Knicks, Jazz still have hurdles to cross
According to Shams, there are still plenty of hurdles that both the Jazz and Knicks need to cross if a deal is going to come across the wire.
For one, the Jazz still has an outrageously high asking price for Mitchell. And at least up to now, the Knicks haven’t been willing to meet it. Could that change over the course of the next couple of weeks? Absolutely.
Though, per Shams, there’s nothing that would suggest a deal is imminent. And that’s even under the premise that the Jazz and Knicks have re-engaged in talks.
Utah wants a boatload of picks and while the Knicks have eight they could trade, they haven’t been willing to move everything to make a deal happen.
But if the Jazz has gotten to a point where they’re ready to move forward with a full-blown rebuild, perhaps they’re more willing to make a deal now. Or maybe the Jazz has gone around the league and has realized that the best offer that they’re going to get is from New York.
If that’s indeed the case, maybe they just try to get a deal done before the start of training camp. If Utah really wants to turn the page on where they are as a franchise, perhaps it really is the best course of action at the moment.
You’d still have to imagine that there won’t be much urgency. Especially considering that Mitchell still has at least three years on his current contract with the Jazz.
Either way, there’s no question that Mitchell is a name to watch, in addition to Durant. Though, it feels like a Mitchell deal will come sooner. Especially if this report is indeed accurate.