Knicks Willing To Include RJ Barrett In Donovan Mitchell Trade Talks

The New York Knicks are doing all they can to acquire Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz, and it is expected that a deal is going to be confirmed in the coming days.

To further entice the Jazz to agree, the Knicks are reportedly willing to include third-year guard RJ Barrett in the package.

SNY disclosed that the Jazz have much interest in acquiring Barrett per their sources, alongside Evan Fournier and multiple first-round picks.

"The Jazz continue to have a strong interest in Knicks' wing RJ Barrett, per SNY sources. Evan Fournier's name has also come up in discussions, sources say," wrote Ian Begley.

Begley also noted that if Barrett was to be included in a deal, the Jazz would also want Obi Toppin, Quentin Grimes or Immanuel Quickley to hasten their rebuilding process by a bit.

Talks between both sides have been at a standstill because of Utah's asking price of picks, with the main point of contention being the number of unprotected picks.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Knicks offered a trio of Fournier and Toppin plus salary-fillers alongside two unprotected first-rounders in the hopes of enticing the Jazz.

It was still not enough at the time for them to get a deal done, but it now appears that it will be the foundation of a deal for Mitchell.

Ainge has built a reputation for himself as a hoarder of draft picks and lived up to it when he asked for a massive haul in exchange for Rudy Gobert.

With the Jazz diving headfirst into a rebuild dealing Mitchell away before the 2022-23 NBA regular season begins can be seen as a point of emphasis for the front office since his value could go down if he suffers an injury.

Begley previously discussed why the Knicks should not deal Barrett, and while it makes sense to some degree, the franchise believes that getting Mitchell to pair up with Jalen Brunson as their superstar backcourt duo could bring in a major free agent next offseason.

There is a caveat waiting for the Knicks though if they go this route.

Acquiring Mitchell while offloading talent-laden youngsters puts massive expectations on the roster to increase their wins instantly and have a decent playoff run at the very least.

Knicks president Leon Rose has an unenviable burden on his shoulders this offseason, and it could only be a matter of time before he chooses the fate of the franchise–to trust in the talent they have acquired or swing for the fences.