New York Knicks

If the New York Knicks do make a trade for Donovan Mitchell, head coach Tom Thibodeau apparently has a preference for which of the team's young players should be included.

Per Marc Berman of the New York Post, there is a belief around the NBA that Thibodeau would prefer to include RJ Barrett in a deal instead of Quentin Grimes because he is a better defender and three-point shooter.

By not wanting to include Grimes, the Knicks appear to be decreasing their chances of pulling off a deal for Mitchell at this point.

Berman noted Utah Jazz CEO of basketball operations Danny Ainge is "hot" to add Grimes as part of his rebuilding plan for the franchise.

"One individual believes Grimes would likely be amenable to joining Utah since a Brunson-Mitchell backcourt would be a roadblock to ever becoming a Knicks starter," Berman wrote.

Earlier this week, Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic that the Knicks and Jazz have had a "fresh conversation" about a Mitchell trade recently, but there's "no traction" on a deal right now.

Charania and Jones added the Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards are also pursuing Mitchell, but a trade involving the three-time All-Star is not imminent.

When rumors about Mitchell potentially being on the trade block began in July, SNY's Ian Begley reported the Knicks had "no interest" in moving Barrett in any deal.

Begley also noted the Knicks were reluctant to trade a combination of picks and players because people within the organization were concerned they wouldn't have enough left on the roster to field a competitive team.

Barrett and Grimes are both 22 years old, but their contract status is very different. Barrett, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, can become a restricted free agent after this season. He averaged a career-high 20.0 points per game in 70 starts last season.

Grimes was the No. 25 overall pick in the 2021 draft and has two team option years left on his rookie contract before hitting restricted free agency after the 2024-25 season. The 6'5" shooting guard averaged 6.0 points in 46 games as a rookie, but he shot 38.1 percent from three-point range on 4.1 attempts per contest.

The Knicks finished 37-45 in 2021-22 and have missed the playoffs in eight of the past nine seasons.

James Dolan is shutting down any speculation that he's looking to sell the New York Knicks and New York Rangers.

Speaking to TMZ Sports about the rumors, Dolan laughed them off and said "no" about selling the two sports franchises.

The rumors began earlier this week when MSG sports analyst Jonathan Boyar said on CNBC's Closing Time that it's "likely" Dolan would sell the teams after the construction of MSG Sphere, a music and entertainment arena being built in Las Vegas, is completed in 2023.

There have been rumblings in the past that Dolan was looking to sell the iconic New York franchises.

Aaron Elstein of Crain's New York reported in June 2018 that Dolan "may be laying the groundwork" to sell the clubs after announcing he "was exploring a spin-off that would separate the Knicks and the Rangers from the rest of Madison Square Garden."

One analyst told Elstein that Dolan wanted to "be more Elon Musk than George Steinbrenner."

MSG released a statement denying there was any interest in selling:

Dolan is the executive chairman of Madison Square Garden Sports and Madison Square Garden Entertainment. He is also the executive chairman of MSG Networks, which is the main broadcast home for Knicks and Rangers games.

After Cablevision, which Dolan was CEO of from 1995-2016, bought out ITT Corp. in 1997, the Dolan family gained full control of the Knicks. Dolan was named MSG chairman in 1999 after taking over for his father, Charles.

Dolan has been running the Knicks and Rangers since 1999. Madison Square Garden Company also used to be the governor of the WNBA's New York Liberty from 1999 until Jan. 2019 when the franchise was sold to Joseph Tsai.

Per Mike Ozanian of Forbes, the Knicks' $5.8 billion franchise valuation is the highest among all NBA teams. The Rangers are currently the only NHL team with a franchise value of at least $2 billion.

The Knicks have made eight playoff appearances under Dolan's leadership, including an appearance in the 1999 NBA Finals. The franchise's two worst seasons by winning percentage have come in the past eight seasons (.207 in 2014-15 and 2018-19).

The Rangers have made 13 playoff appearances since the 1999-2000 season. They have also won two division titles and reached the Stanley Cup Final after the 2013-14 season, losing to the Los Angeles Kings in five games.

If the New York Knicks are going to acquire All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz, they reportedly may have to do it without the inclusion of Julius Randle.

Appearing Wednesday on SiriusXM NBA Radio's Give & Go, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith said the Jazz don't want Randle, but they do want RJ Barrett and six first-round draft picks:

Mitchell has reportedly been on the trade block since shortly after the Jazz dealt All-Star center Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a blockbuster trade in July, and the Knicks have been the team most closely associated to the talented guard.

New York was initially viewed as the front-runner for Mitchell, but things went silent on that front until recently.

On Tuesday, Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic reported the Jazz and Knicks had re-engaged in trade talks with the Knicks making a new offer, although there was still "no traction" between the two sides on a deal.

Charania and Jones also reported that the Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards are in on the Mitchell sweepstakes.

There is perhaps no team in the NBA with more ammo needed to land Mitchell than the Knicks, mainly because of the draft compensation they can offer.

The Knicks have eight first-round picks that are eligible to be traded, plus they have some high-upside, young players on their roster such as Quentin Grimes, Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley.

If the Jazz want Barrett involved in a trade for Mitchell, that is likely a sticking point for the Knicks, as they would undoubtedly like for Mitchell, Barrett and Jalen Brunson to be their core.

The 22-year-old Barrett was the No. 3 pick in the 2019 NBA draft, and he is coming off a strong season that saw him set career highs across the board with 20.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 three-pointers made per game.

Randle was an All-Star and won the NBA's Most Improved Player Award two seasons ago, but he took a step back last season and would perhaps be viewed by the Jazz as a salary dump.

While Randle averaged 20.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game last season, he shot just 41.1 percent from the field and clearly wasn't the same player who led the Knicks to the playoffs one season earlier.

At 27, Randle has reached veteran status, and trading a young, three-time All-Star in Mitchell is a sign that the Jazz want to rebuild rather than take in experienced players.

Utah is under no obligation to trade Mitchell since he is under contract through at least 2025, meaning the Jazz may be content to wait it out in anticipation of the Knicks upping their offer once the start of the 2022-23 season draws closer.

Jalen Brunson's first game at American Airlines Arena against his former team is reportedly going to happen on Dec. 27.

Per NBA reporter Marc Stein, the Dallas Mavericks will host the New York Knicks two days after the Knicks play the Philadelphia 76ers on Christmas Day.

Several key games from the 2022-23 regular season have been reported in recent days. Stein noted the NBA will release the official schedule on Wednesday.

Brunson was the Knicks' big offseason acquisition. The 25-year-old signed a four-year, $104 million contract at the start of free agency to boost their backcourt.

Expectations for New York are still modest, though that could change depending on what happens with Donovan Mitchell. FanDuel Sportsbook has the team's over/under at 39.5 wins.

Mitchell has been heavily linked to the Knicks throughout the offseason if the Utah Jazz decide to trade the three-time All-Star.

Per Fred Katz of The Athletic, the Knicks "know no one is coming close to them" in terms of trade offers for Mitchell right now. There's no indication at this point that Utah is going to deal him anytime soon.

Brunson earned a long-term contract from the Knicks on the basis of what he did in Dallas last season. He was primarily a role player off the bench in his first three seasons before emerging as a key piece in the starting lineup for the Mavs.

Per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, the Mavericks attempted to re-sign Brunson on a five-year, $106 million contract before he ultimately decided to join the Knicks.

Brunson averaged 16.3 points and 4.8 assists per game in 79 appearances during the 2021-22 season. He has shot 51.0 percent from the field overall in the past two seasons, including 38.7 percent from two-point range.

Dallas reached the Western Conference Finals last season for the first time since winning the NBA championship in 2010-11. The team lost to the Golden State Warriors in five games.

The Knicks are hoping Brunson can get them back to the postseason after a disappointing 37-45 record in 2021-22. They have posted losing records in eight of the past nine seasons.

The Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks are in line to play at Madison Square Garden as part of the NBA's Christmas Day slate of games, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

That report comes after 76ers guard James Harden provided a hint Sunday about the possible matchup.

Stein previously reported that the first draft of the Christmas Day schedule has the Los Angeles Lakers playing at the Dallas Mavericks, the Memphis Grizzlies visiting the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns taking on back-to-back NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.

Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe also reported that a Christmas Day matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics is "likely."

Keith Smith of Spotrac cobbled it all together:

And Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic confirmed it all:

The 2022-23 regular season is set to open Oct. 18. The Lakers will be visiting the Warriors that night, when Golden State will have its ring ceremony, per Charania.

This year's Christmas Day slate follows patterns from previous years. It's typically a five-game slate that features a New York Knicks home game, a LeBron James-led team and the defending NBA champions.

The 2022 slate also won't feature a shortage of stars, as per usual, with Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Mavs point guard Luka Doncic and Suns point guard Chris Paul among them.

The New York Knicks believe they're in a position of power in Donovan Mitchell talks.

Fred Katz of The Athletic reported the Knicks "know no one is coming close to them" as the Utah Jazz continue to explore trading their All-Star guard.

The Knicks have long been seen as the front-runner for Mitchell, a New York native who spent much of his early childhood in the city.

Equipped with as many as eight future first-round picks to trade, Knicks President of Basketball Operations Leon Rose has more than enough assets to complete a trade right now. That said, it's clear the Knicks do not want to throw all of their future assets into a Mitchell trade and repeat the same mistake they made 11 years prior with Carmelo Anthony.

Like Mitchell, Anthony was a New York native spinning his wheels on a mediocre Western Conference team. The Knicks went all-in to acquire the All-Star forward and pair him with Amar'e Stoudemire, but the results proved largely disappointing. New York never made it past the second round of the playoffs with Anthony, thanks in large part to an inability to surround him with talent.

The Knicks know Mitchell alone is not enough to create a perennial contender. Mitchell's Jazz teams had the NBA's best defensive big man in Rudy Gobert and a strong complement of veteran role players who fit Quin Snyder's system. They still continually fell short in the playoffs, never making it past the second round and exiting in the first three of the last four years.

Cashing in every future draft pick would consign the Knicks to a similar fate—if not worse given they have no player of Gobert's caliber to pair with Mitchell. New York is coming off a 37-45 campaign that saw its best player, Julius Randle, feud with fans and disappoint under the spotlight of expectations. A core of Mitchell, Randle and RJ Barrett isn't scratching the surface of competing against the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks' best hope is that they remain the clubhouse leader with the best offer in place—one that allows them to acquire Mitchell and gives them enough breathing room to add another co-star in the future.

The New York Knicks reportedly "want to hang onto" point guard Derrick Rose despite rumors his contract could be important in the team's pursuit of Utah Jazz shooting guard Donovan Mitchell.

Tony Jones of The Athletic reported Friday on the HoopsHype podcast the Knicks and Jazz haven't been close to an agreement on Mitchell throughout the offseason, and that remains the case with several sticking points, including Rose being a "favorite" of head coach Tom Thibodeau and the team's hesitation to include young players on team-friendly contracts.

New York has been the most frequently mentioned possible landing spot for Mitchell, a three-time All-Star, but discussions have been sluggish.

That's actually been the case around the NBA ever since the Minnesota Timberwolves paid a high price, headlined by four first-round picks and a pick swap, to acquire defensive cornerstone Rudy Gobert from the Jazz.

Now every front office must weigh offers for their players against that package, which also included impact veterans Patrick Beverley and Malik Beasley.

It's no surprise the Jazz would want something similar for Mitchell. In this case, they're targeting the likes of Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes from the Knicks, per Jones.

New York has remained hesitant throughout the offseason about going all-in to acquire a marquee name, though.

In mid-July, SNY's Ian Begley reported the Knicks' front office was concerned "there wouldn't be enough left on the roster to field a contending team" if it paid a king's ransom for a player like Mitchell.

The key question may be whether the Jazz are totally focused on starting a full-scale rebuild, which would receive another boost from a monster return for Mitchell, or if they're OK keeping him while the roster reconstruction continues.

Jones reported it's the latter, at least at the current stage.

"They don't feel like they have to trade Mitchell or are obligated," he said on the HoopsHype podcast. "They don't feel an urgency to trade him. They think they have multiple roads back to being the team they were a couple of years ago."

There also isn't any contract pressure, as Mitchell's deal runs through 2024-25 with a player option for 2025-26.

So the Jazz are in a position where they can demand interested teams pay their price, and so far the Knicks haven't shown a willingness to part with that many assets.

As for Rose, he'll likely be ticketed for a smaller role this season following the free-agent signing of Jalen Brunson to run the team's offense, but he could still provide valuable minutes off the bench while being a mentor for the team's young players.

The 2010-11 NBA MVP is entering the final guaranteed season of his three-year, $43.6 million contract, though the Knicks hold a club option for 2023-24.