Why The Knicks Should NOT Pursue Donovan Mitchell
Donovan Mitchell is eventually going to be moved out of Cleveland. It feels like the worst-kept secret in the NBA. Mitchell, 27, is under contract next season and has a player option in 2025-26. The Cavs are running out of time to make this work and Mitchell’s fit in Cleveland is far from perfect. Many are wondering if the Knicks will make another play for the Louisville product.
The obvious answer is no. Of course, the Knicks shouldn’t pursue Mitchell. It might be a great trade you can make in 2K. It sure as hell isn’t in New York’s best interest from a real basketball perspective. Even resident Knicks fan Chris Bagdonas has argued against trading for Mitchell.
The worst mistake the Knicks could make right now is taking the ball out of Jalen Brunson’s hands. Nothing matters more than that. Brunson is the heart and soul of this current Knicks team. Whatever the Knicks accomplish this year, it will largely be because of him. The former Villanova product is averaging 25.9 points, four rebounds, and six assists while converting nearly 45% of his attempts from long distance.
Why would you want to insert Mitchell into this lineup so those two can have a battle of the egos? Brunson currently sports a 27.6% usage rate. Mitchell’s is actually higher at 30.4%. Does Mitchell get that he’s the one that needs to take a backseat here? Kinda like he should have understood that when Darius Garland leads the offense. It’s one of the main reasons why Cleveland has underachieved. That’s without going into the playoff failures while with Utah.
Basketball is a team sport. I think people forget that. The casual fan is obsessed with traditional box score stats. It’s guys like Derrick White and Jaime Jaquez that take you over the top as connective tissues to any team. Something New York just tried to do wisely in the OG Annoy trade. If the Knicks are going to go star hunting again, it should be by cashing in Julius Randle to get a player that compliments what Brunson does on the floor.
Just say no to Mitchell. There is just one ball and taking away Brunson’s actions would be addition by subtraction. If the Knicks really want to be taken seriously again, Donovan Mitchell isn’t the answer to getting them back into title contention.
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