Following a second round finish to 2023-2024, the New York Knicks will head back to the drawing board, looking for means to upgrade the roster.
It won’t be a trade for Donovan Mitchell, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.
On a podcast with reporters Ian Begley and Stefon Bondy, Scotto made sure to nix any idea of Mitchell making his way to New York.
“Bondy, to your question about who that star would be, let’s get this out of the way: The Donovan Mitchell to New York ship has sailed,” Scotto said on June 16.
Mitchell was traded from his first NBA home, the Utah Jazz, in the summer of 2022.
While the Knicks were long discussed as an inevitable destination, he ended up on the Cleveland Cavaliers. His future is again up in the air, as he awaits a contract extension.
If things fall through in Cleveland, Mitchell could be on the move again. Just not to Madison Square Garden, according to Scotto.
New York Faces Star Question This Summer
A second-straight finish the Eastern Conference Semifinals, led by an All-NBA point guard in Jalen Brunson doesn’t warrant panic.
Especially considering the injuries. New York was without Julius Randle this postseason, an All-NBA forward in his own right.
It’s a fork in the road for the Knicks. Will they try and pull off a blockbuster deal for a second or third star? Or will the team simply reinforce the bench and run it back with hopes of putting their injury luck behind them?
Leon Rose, President of Basketball Operations, has been consistent in his desire to bring New York it’s first championship since 1973. His track record with transactions reinforces that.
Rose won’t shy away from making a play at a top talent this summer. But first, that talent must be available.
Knicks’ Trade Options This Summer
Things can change fast in the NBA. And they typically kickstart around the time of the NBA Draft. But as of June 17, the Knicks’ options for a star acquisition are limited.
Crossing a deal for Mitchell off the list trims it to only a handful of potential targets.
Paul George, a nine-time All-Star, has a player option for 2024-2025.
He’s expected to decline it and explore his options if the LA Clippers don’t grant his wishes for an extension by June 29.
Bondy told Scotto on the same podcast that he considers George an x-factor in New York’s hopes to resign OG Anunoby.
“One x-factor in the Anunoby sweepstakes is Paul George,” Bondy said. “If George doesn’t go to Philadelphia or Oklahoma City, those two teams will have to spend their money to get somebody.”
There’s also Karl-Anthony Towns. After falling well short in the Western Conference Finals, the Minnesota Timberwolves have decisions to make on their luxury tax roster.
Scotto told Begley and Bondy that executives around the league are monitoring the situation in Minnesota.
“I’d say executives around the league are monitoring Minnesota going forward to see if they can withstand that exorbitant payroll coming up,” Scotto said.
Then there’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, who’s three years removed from his first NBA championship. After the Milwaukee Bucks went all in on Damian Lillard last summer, the team won just 49 games. For context, they won 51 and 58 games in the two years prior.
Fred Katz wrote in a June 17 column for The Athletic that Anteotkounmpo is “the Knicks’ dream scenario.”
“Antetokounmpo is the Knicks’ dream scenario, as he would be anyone’s. The sharks are circling after the Bucks’ disappointing 2023-24, which ended in an injury-induced first-round playoff defeat,” Katz wrote.
Outside of the aforementioned trio, no other top tier talent is considered available, as of yet.
Rose and the New York front office will keep the phone lines open.
They have the safety net of running it back with a 50-win roster beneath them.
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