After the Miami Heat and the rest of the entire NBA, it seems, were eventually denied the chance to land Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets, as the two sides mended their fences, all eyes seemed to turn in another direction.
Towards Utah they went, as after the Jazz moved Rudy Gobert early in this current NBA offseason, it assuredly looked as if Donovan Mitchell wasn’t that far behind.
Well, those talks seem to continue to accelerate and as they have been for most of the duration of the chatter, the New York Knicks seem like the leader in the clubhouse to get a deal done. That doesn’t mean that getting said deal done will be easy though.
Here is the latest on the chatter.
The Utah Jazz rejected a Knicks trade offer of RJ Barrett and 2 unprotected first-round picks for Donovan Mitchell, per @ShamsCharania
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 30, 2022
“That was not deemed close enough by the Utah Jazz” pic.twitter.com/DblZd6H3ra
Speaking on The Rally of Bally Sports surrounding a potential deal in light of a new extension signed by RJ Barrett, Charania opened up on all that he’s hearing about Mitchell’s fate.
The Miami Heat missed out on Kevin Durant, but maybe they can land Donovan Mitchell from Utah? Not if they are looking for as much as it seems.
Though the above excerpt of the quote in question was imperative, here is the meat of what he had to say.
"…RJ Barrett could very well end up being in a potential deal and being in offers depending on the framework of a deal.The Knicks have pursued Donovan Mitchell over the last month and a half and their most recent offer, I’m told, included RJ Barrett as well as two unprotected first-round picks. That was not deemed as being close to enough by the Utah Jazz in a trade.And that’s why we saw the Knicks move forward with their own business in getting done this RJ Barrett extension. Four years… $107 with incentives that could take the deal up to $120 million dollars. And so, we’ll see what takes place between now and the start of training camp later this month in terms of what else the Knicks can put in."
Charania would close this particular quote by naming a couple of more assets, such as more unprotected first-rounders, Quentin Grimes, or Immanuel Quickley. While it, indeed, confirms one suspicion, that the Knicks are firmly ahead of most others in talks for Mitchell, it also all but confirms another.
If the Knicks’ reported offer wasn’t enough, then it’ll take Tyler Herro, at least two unprotected first-round picks, and two Miami Heat role guys to get the deal done for them—at the very least. That’s Herro, picks, and two or more of Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Omer Yurtseven, or Duncan Robinson.
And though Robinson is still an asset and an elite shooter, at his peak which you imagine he’ll get back close to in the coming year, teams with the Jazz’s leverage could go further and ask for more draft capital to “take on” a contract like Robinson’s in light of his lowered value at the moment.
It’s all pretty fascinating, but telling and ominous for Miami Heat fans that hoped to see Mitchell in Miami Heat attire. Keep your eyes peeled, as anything can happen but at those rates, you have to assume that it won’t involve the Heat.