Negotiations between the New York Knicks and the Utah Jazz for Donovan Mitchell are apparently stalled. Despite the fact that several media have suggested in the last two weeks that the operation is closed in the absence of finalizing several fringes, the truth is that more reliable sources such as Adrian Wojnarowski or Shams Charania have indicated that the negotiations could last even several more months.
There have been all kinds of rumors and proposals for commercial packages, but as far as all the insiders seem to agree is that the number of draft rounds involved is currently emerging as the main point of contention between the front offices of both franchises.
Leon Rose is apparently unwilling to sacrifice the Knicks’ future on the deal, while Ainge has planted himself on a pretty ambitious asset package idea. According to the journalist Sports IllustratedChris Mannix, very close to the CEO of the Jazz, Ainge is very clear about what he wants to receive for Mitchell and will wait for this offer to materialize even if “he has to wait until trade deadline«.
While this tug of war continues, with other teams like the Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets or Los Angeles Lakers waiting to be able to scratch something, new reports insist on previously shared information. As pointed out by the journalist Bleacher Report, Jake Fischer, the Jazz wouldn’t want to get RJ Barrett from New York. The reason? Both Ainge and the general manager, Justin Zanik, don’t want to bring in a player with a max renewal on the nearest horizon. A position that could also put a potential operation with the Miami Heat at risk, since Tyler Herro is in a similar position: he aspires to a contract extension for the maximum salary in order to start in the 2023-24 academic year.
In any case, this demand will not be, far from it, badly received by the New York offices, since from the beginning it was reported that the Knicks were not willing to put Barrett on the table in the negotiations for the shooting guard of the Jazz.
(Cover photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
