Donovan Mitchell Removes Utah Jazz From Profiles As Trade Talks Heat Up

The Donovan Mitchell trade saga between the New York Knicks and Utah Jazz has taken centerstage in recent weeks, and it appears that a deal is about to happen in the coming days.

The three-time All-Star curiously removed any mentions of the Jazz from his Twitter and Instagram accounts, lending more credence to the trade rumors.

Recent reports suggested that both sides are in advanced stages after the Knicks were supposedly open to the idea of adding third-year guard RJ Barrett into their trade package.

However, Barrett is now off the table after NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Barrett is close to re-signing with the Knicks on a four-year, $120 million deal.

Though those are not the final numbers, signing Barrett to a deal now means he will not be available in any trades until later in the season.

Marc Berman of the New York Post noted that there is still a possibility that Mitchell goes to the Knicks according to a source within the NBA.

Added information about the deal suggests that the Knicks have remained steadfast in their offer of two unprotected first-rounders alongside three conditional picks, an offer that the Jazz are not willing to take.

According to Berman, Barrett is just a trade sweetener and is not a priority for the Jazz to acquire as they are still after the unprotected picks.

"Not having Barrett in the deal would not seem to be deal-breaker. Sources contend unprotected picks are more important to Utah, which reportedly is after the Lakers' 2027 and 2029 picks in what could be a three-team deal," Berman wrote.

He later added that the Los Angeles Lakers could jump in on the deal as the Knicks have Cam Reddish whom the Lakers targeted at the trade deadline last season.

The Knicks' pursuit of Mitchell is mainly in their belief that a backcourt duo of him and Jalen Brunson could attract a major free agent next offseason as they look to rise back to relevancy in the Eastern Conference.

Theoretically, it could work since Brunson will carry the responsibility of running the offense while Mitchell can focus on scoring efforts.

When the situation calls for it, they can easily switch roles throughout the course of the game and still be able to distribute the ball plus get themselves involved.

Because of the two sides being extremely near to completing a deal, any one of them deciding to pull out would be a surprising development since no other team in the league can offer the Jazz a deal like the Knicks can.

It now appears that it is only a matter of time before the two sides consummate a trade and Mitchell appears to be sure that he will be wearing Knicks colors for the 2022-23 NBA season.