This isn’t about moving the goal posts yet again for the Knicks and their fans. They’ve waited long enough to land a marquee player willing to call Madison Square Garden home.
That when again can be an instantaneous goal for team president Leon Rose and his front office in the approaching months, just because it was last summer once they fell short of their bid to acquire All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell from the Jazz.
Mitchell, who grew up in Westchester, as an alternative was dealt to the Cavaliers — and admitted facing the Knicks within the playoffs was a “full-circle” moment in his profession, regardless that his team ended up on the losing end of the first-round series.
While the Knicks will search elsewhere via the trade market this summer to reinforce their roster in hopes of taking the subsequent step toward title contention, Mitchell’s status will proceed to bear watching over the subsequent two years because of his ongoing flirtation along with his hometown team.
Appearing recently on former Knicks guard Theo Pinson’s podcast, “Run Your Race,” Mitchell unsurprisingly spoke in glowing terms concerning the MSG atmosphere in the course of the playoffs.
“For Game 3, once we got here out for warmups, the noise, the fans were in there already,” Mitchell said. “After they did the anthem, bruh? That s–t was crazy. That s–t was crazy. Like once they did the anthem, I used to be like, ‘Rattling, this s–t is jumping.’ Like, I used to be geeked.”
After all, it’s hardly breaking latest ground to listen to opposing players rave concerning the Garden — see also: James, LeBron — and particularly for somebody who grew up in the world.
But Mitchell, whose father, Donovan Sr., works for the Mets, already has stated he believed that he was headed to the Knicks before trade talks fell apart.
The 26-year-old Mitchell has two guaranteed years remaining on his contract value a complete of $67.4 million, and he can change into a free agent for the primary time in July 2025 if he declines a player option for 2025-26 at $37.1 million.
There is no such thing as a way of knowing whether the identical coaching staff can be intact with the Knicks by then, but Tom Thibodeau’s top assistant, Johnnie Bryant, is taken into account a mentor by Mitchell from their days together in Utah early in Mitchell’s profession.
“I prefer to try to maneuver away from [the] summer,” Mitchell said ahead of the Knicks-Cavs series. “It happened, I’m [in Cleveland] and I’m glad to be here. I’m pretty sure when I’m going to Recent York, I’m going to get asked the identical questions over and another time. But I’m glad to be a component of this group, glad to be with this team and I feel for me personally, wouldn’t want it some other way.
“It’s a story[book] ending — not ending, storyline. I feel it’s something that’s really special and near and dear to me having the ability to play in a playoff [series] in front of my family and friends. A team that I grew up watching. Against a man that’s an assistant coach over there [Bryant] who sort of mainly taught me all the pieces I do know at this point. So it’s great. I’m excited for the challenge.”
The four-time All-Star posted profession bests with 28.3 points per game and a .484 field-goal percentage, including 38.6 percent from 3-point range, in his first season in Cleveland, earning second-team All-NBA honors. However the Knicks limited him to 23.2 points in five playoff games, along with his shooting numbers dipping to twenty-eight.9 percent from long range and 43.3 percent overall.
The Knicks will look elsewhere for a roster upgrade this summer, but revisiting a pursuit of Mitchell is something to control within the near future.
To CP3 or to not CP3?
Chris Paul, a former Rose client when each were at CAA, might be one other intriguing player in the marketplace this summer for win-now teams.
A report Wednesday by TNT’s Chris Haynes said Paul, a 12-time All-Star over 18 NBA seasons, had been informed by the Suns that he could be waived.
But Shams Charania of The Athletic later reported that Phoenix is “exploring multiple options” with Paul, including trades, stretching his contract and waiving him or re-signing him in free agency.
Irrespective of how Paul’s future plays out, it seems clear the door has been opened to his departure from Phoenix.
Less clear is whether or not the 38-year-old point guard would come to the Knicks, who’ve Jalen Brunson as their place to begin guard, and accept a lesser role than he could earn with other contenders (e.g. Lakers, Heat) in pursuit of his first NBA title.
The nice Dame?
The Knicks were one in all 4 potential trade destinations Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard was asked about on a podcast appearance this week, but they weren’t listed as his top alternative if he and the Blazers ever determine to explore trade options (which he has not yet committed to doing).
Appearing on “The Last Stand,” the seven-time All-Star guard was asked which of the Knicks, Nets, Heat and Celtics would most appeal to him if he’s to relocate.
“Miami, obviously. Miami is the apparent one,” Lillard said concerning the Heat, who trail the Nuggets 2-1 within the NBA Finals after dropping Game 3 on Wednesday night in Miami. “Bam [Adebayo] is my dog. Bam is my dog, for real. Miami is the apparent one. Brooklyn is one other obvious one, because Mikal Bridges is my dog, too.”
That prompted Knicks forward Josh Hart, a former teammate of Lillard’s in Portland until a February move to Recent York, to answer on Twitter, “Rattling I believed I used to be your dog too.”
The 32-year-old Lillard, who averaged a career-high 32.2 points per game this season, said in the identical interview that he “desires to have a chance to win in Portland” and “to construct a team that may compete.
“If we will’t do this… then it’s a separate conversation we might need to have,” he added.
At the tip of the regular season, Lillard told reporters he was “not interested” in seeing the Blazers draft one other young player with what became the No. 3 overall pick via the lottery, adding “If the route is to do this, then that’s not my route.”
The Blazers are reportedly entertaining trade offers for that pick ahead of the June 22 draft.
Lillard’s possible presence on the trade market would add one other proven impact player for the Knicks to no less than consider, though he is about to earn $45.6 million next season, $48.8 million in 2024-25, an estimated $58.5 million in ’25-26 and has a player option value greater than $63 million for 2026-27.
The Hart of the matter
Hart also showed up on the podcast circuit earlier this week in an interview with my former SNY colleague Taylor Rooks for Bleacher Report.
Once more, Hart reiterated his desire to sign a long-term take care of the Knicks once, as expected, he declines his $12.9 million player option for 2023-24 by the June 24 deadline.
“We’ll probably decline that and do the free-agency thing,” Hart told Rooks. “I like Recent York. I like the team. I like the coaching staff, the front office that we now have. We got young guys, draft picks, all those varieties of things. Obviously, that may be a great place for me to only re-sign and do this.
“Every thing is ideal. On the court, off the court, with family being near home, doing all those sorts of things. Fingers crossed, when free agency starts, a deal will get done hopefully in the primary day or two. I’d love for that to be home.”
Hart is anticipated to land a four-year deal value between $16 million and $18 million per season.
USA, USA
Brunson’s addition to Team USA for the FIBA World Cup later this summer in Japan and The Philippines is a pleasant feather within the cap for a terrific first season in Recent York.
Brunson registered 24.0 points and 6.2 assists per game in the course of the regular season after which a team-high 27.8 with 5.6 dimes over 11 postseason contests.
The Americans can be coached by Steve Kerr of the Warriors, with assistants Erik Spoelstra (Heat), Tyronn Lue (Clippers) and Mark Few (Gonzaga).
