The New York Knickshad everything to get Donovan Mitchell. Their officials were close to him; he was a hometown kid, and they had the picks, the young players, the salary cap. But as it usually happens, it wasn’t enough.
Danny Ainge and the Utah Jazz wound up sending Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers. And even though they got quite the decent package in return, some believe the Knicks could’ve one-upped every offer.
However, it seems like the Jazz never intended to send him to the Big Apple. According to NBA insider Ric Bucher, some officials weren’t willing to trade him to his preferred destination out of pure spite.
NBA Rumors: Jazz Didn’t Want To Trade Mitchell To NY As A Payback
“Some Jazz officials were not happy that Mitchell wanted out and viewed sending him to CLE — rather than home to NY — as payback,” Bucher reported.
Mitchell Is Ecstatic For The Trade
That seems kind of unfair considering the fact that Mitchell never publically asked for a trade, even despite they moved Rudy Gobert. Also, that payback backfired, as he’s reportedly thrilled about playing in Cleveland:
“It’s a great fit for Donovan Mitchell,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said. “And I’m gonna tell you, I can’t tell you how I know, but I’m aware of when he found out. And I’m aware of when he actually found out about what was in the trade.”
“And when he found out — he was on a golf course — and when he found out that Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and Darius Garland were not in the trade, and neither was Kevin Love, he went screaming around the golf course, he was so excited,” Windhorst added.“He’s extremely excited in this moment. I’m sure he would love to have been a [New York] Knick, that’s his hometown. But he’s extremely excited in the moment.”
The Cavs now have one of the best lineups in the league, at least on paper. The Knicks, on the other hand, have committed $340 million to their Big 3 of Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, and Jalen Brunson, so there’s that…