New York Knicks

The New York Knicks' pursuit of All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz is reportedly centered around the number of first-round draft picks they're willing to move.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported the latest update Tuesday on Stein Line Live (via HoopsHype) about Jazz CEO Danny Ainge's push for more of New York's future selections.

"My intel has been that the Knicks are trying to do this only surrendering four or five firsts," Stein said. "But someone I trust told me today that they think that Danny was going for seven of the eight firsts."

Utah already helped set the market for blockbuster trades this offseason when it sent three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves. That deal featured four first-round picks and an additional pick swap.

It's unlikely Mitchell would be moved for less than that, and it's no surprise the Jazz are seeking even more given the premium value of guards in today's NBA compared to an old-school center like Gobert despite his high-end production at the defensive end.

The question is whether the Knicks are prepared to stake pretty much their entire future on Mitchell.

SNY's Ian Begley reported last week that New York's front office is "wary" that giving up too much in the deal would leave it without "enough left on the roster to field a contending team."

The Knicks haven't featured an offensive talent of Mitchell's caliber since Carmelo Anthony, who last played for the franchise in 2016-17, but the Melo years also showed that having a high-end scorer doesn't guarantee team success if there isn't enough talent around him.

Giving up seven first-rounders would also limit New York's ability to add young players on team-friendly contracts to fill out the bottom of the roster.

Yet, the Knicks are also facing a lot pressure to revitalize the roster this summer after missing the playoffs with a 37-45 record one season after ending a seven-year playoff drought.

Mitchell could certainly provide a massive boost heading toward 2022-23. He's coming off a season in which he averaged 25.9 points, 5.3 assists, 4.2 rebounds, 3.5 threes and 1.5 steals across 67 games for Utah.

Pairing the three-time All-Star with RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and the recently signed Jalen Brunson would give the Knicks a formidable starting lineup, but depth would already be a concern before the future first-rounders even come into play.

All told, there's no indication the sides are close to a blockbuster agreement, but the link between Mitchell and the Knicks continues to linger.

Much like the ongoing Kevin Durant trade saga, Donovan Mitchell's exit from the Utah Jazz may drag on deep into the summer.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday that the Jazz discussed a Mitchell trade with the New York Knicks but will continue to canvass offers from around the league. As a result, Wojnarowski said, a final agreement "is going to take some time."

Utah seemed to wrap up the Rudy Gobert trade in relatively short order.

On June 28, The Athletic's Tony Jones reported the team was "still engaging in trade talk," with Gobert one of the possible outgoing pieces. Three days later, Wojnarowski was reporting the terms of the deal that sent him to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The massive haul the Jazz received for the veteran center (four first-round picks and additional compensation) might have guaranteed a Mitchell trade would be a drawn-out affair.

The 25-year-old guard is arguably a more valuable trade asset than Gobert, but one team executive told The Action Network's Matt Moore that it has become more difficult to gauge what a star like Mitchell is worth.

"How are we supposed to establish a market after that?" the executive said in reference to the Gobert trade. "It was one thing when Milwaukee [traded five firsts for Jrue Holiday], they were in a specific spot. If you want an All-Star, it starts with six picks, plus good rotation guys? It's going to poison the market for a while."

Mitchell is also under contract for at least three more seasons, while the Jazz know this is the last big move that will shape their direction moving forward. Utah has to fully capitalize on this opportunity, and it has the luxury of being able to wait around.

It's the exact same position that the Brooklyn Nets are in with Durant.

Keeping a star player who wants out can create a difficult dynamic, but that's preferable to shipping him out for a lower than expected return simply to get rid of him.

If the Jazz are going to dig their heels in—and it appears they are—Mitchell might be stuck in Salt Lake City longer than expected.

As the New York Knicks continue to wait for Jalen Brunson to officially sign his contract, they cleared additional cap space Friday by announcing they have waived Taj Gibson.

Per SNY.tv's Ian Begley, Gibson had a $5 million cap hold with the Knicks for the 2022-23 season.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Gibson intends to sign with the Washington Wizards once he clears waivers Sunday.

Gibson's $5.155 million salary for next season was non-guaranteed. He signed a two-year, $10.1 million deal with the Knicks in January 2021, two months after being waived by the organization.

The Knicks have spent a lot of energy this offseason clearing cap space. Their strategy paid off, as they secured an agreement with Brunson on a four-year, $104 million deal at the start of free agency on June 30.

Players have been eligible to sign their free-agent contracts since 12:01 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

NBA reporter Marc Stein noted on Twitter that Brunson's deal with the Knicks is unlikely to be finalized "before this weekend at the soonest" because he has yet to take a physical with the club.

Per Spotrac, the Knicks project to have $12.8 million in practical cap space, factoring in agreements with Brunson, Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein.

New York president Leon Rose will likely look to fill out the rest of the roster with that money. The Knicks will only have 12 players under contract when the deals for Brunson, Robinson and Hartenstein get finalized.

In Washington, Kristaps Porzingis will be the starter as long as he can stay healthy. He averaged 22.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game in 17 starts after being acquired at the trade deadline from the Dallas Mavericks.

Daniel Gafford, who had a solid 2021-22 campaign with 9.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in 72 appearances, should remain the No. 2 center because of his age (23) and upside.

Gibson gives Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. another big man to use off the bench. The 37-year-old averaged 4.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in 52 appearances with the Knicks last season.

If the Utah Jazz make Donovan Mitchell available for a trade this summer, the New York Knicks might not be among the teams interested because of the price it would take to land him.

The Knicks are "wary of trading the combination of picks and players that it would take to land a player like Mitchell," according to SNY's Ian Begley. New York believes that putting together a package for the Jazz guard wouldn't leave the team with enough to contend.

The Knicks enter the 2022-23 season with a starting rotation that includes Jalen Brunson, Evan Fournier, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson, with depth pieces such as Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley and Cam Reddish.

New York agreed to a four-year, $104 million deal with Brunson in free agency, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, prying the point guard from the Dallas Mavericks. The franchise also re-signed Robinson to a four-year, $60 million deal.

While it's unlikely the Knicks would be willing to part with either Brunson or Robinson in a package for Mitchell after signing them to lucrative deals, both Fournier and Randle have been linked to New York in trade rumors this summer.

Begley reported Friday that Fournier continues to be included in trade discussions, and The Athletic's Fred Katz reported on the Callin Shots podcast (h/t R.P. Salao of Clutch Points) that the Knicks "have inquired with other teams about moving" Randle.

It's unclear what Utah would want in exchange for Mitchell, though Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune noted the Jazz should receive a "massive haul" if they decide to trade him.

Utah would want far more than Fournier and Randle in return for its superstar, especially after trading Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro, Walker Kessler and four first-round picks.

Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer also reported in May that it would be "highly unlikely" for the Knicks to acquire Mitchell, adding that "there's healthy skepticism around the NBA that New York’s best offer for Mitchell would trump other teams' pursuits."

The 25-year-old has been a staple in the Utah lineup since being selected 13th overall in 2017. He had a solid 2021-22 campaign, averaging 25.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 44.8 percent from the floor and 35.5 percent from deep on the way to his third All-Star selection.

It should be no surprise that the Jazz plan to "retool" around Mitchell, per Wojnarowski.

Still, Mitchell has been linked to the Knicks for a long time, and it's hard to imagine the franchise not at least exploring the possibility of adding the New York native.

In January, Ric Bucher of Fox Sports reported that the Jazz are "a first-round exit from Donovan being in New York." Newsday's Steve Popper added in February that Knicks executive vice president William Wesley had been planning a move for Mitchell.

Mitchell reiterated his commitment to the Jazz in an interview with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports in February, but his mindset could have since changed, especially with Gobert having been moved.

Evan Fournier might have played his last game with the New York Knicks.

The veteran shooting guard continues to be discussed in trade talks, according to SNY's Ian Begley. The Knicks had been discussing potential deals for Fournier both before and after the draft, including as recently as Thursday when free agency opened.

Begley reported earlier this week that some members of the Knicks organization have concerns about a backcourt of Fournier and Jalen Brunson, who was signed to a four-year, $104 million deal on Thursday, defensively.

That said, it's no surprise the franchise is looking to move Fournier, who has a cap hit of $18 million for the 2022-23 season and won't become a free agent until 2025. However, the Frenchman could become a free agent following the 2023-24 season if his $19 million club option for 2024-25 is declined.

The Boston Celtics sent Fournier to the Knicks in a sign-and-trade deal in August 2021. The 29-year-old had a solid 2020-21 campaign, averaging 17.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 45.7 percent from the floor and 41.3 percent from deep.

However, Fournier took a step backward with the Knicks during the 2021-22 season, averaging 14.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steal while shooting 41.7 percent from the floor and 38.9 percent from deep.

And while the Knicks struggled on defense as a whole during the 2021-22 campaign, Fournier didn't make the situation any better. So, pairing him with Brunson, who also isn't much of a defender, wouldn't bode well for the franchise next season.

At this point, it's unclear which teams might be interested in acquiring Fournier this summer. However, John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM reported last week that the Knicks attempted to trade him back to the Celtics.

Fournier would fit into the Celtics $17.1 million traded player exception, which was ironically created when Boston shipped him to New York ahead of the 2021-22 season. However, it's unclear if the C's would have any interest in a reunion after acquiring Malcolm Brogdon from the Indiana Pacers.

Boston is also set to sign Danilo Gallinari once he clears waivers with the San Antonio Spurs.

If the Knicks can find a trade partner for Fournier, Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes will likely be the team's leading shooting guards next season unless they make another addition in free agency.