NBA Hall Of Famer Shoots Down Knicks' Chances At Getting Jazz Superstar

The Utah Jazz are one of the best regular-season teams that have continued to flounder in the postseason, and rumors have hounded them since falling to the Dallas Mavericks in six games in the first round.

Longtime head coach Quin Snyder has even decided that it was time to part ways with the franchise after putting up a record of 372 wins and 264 losses in the regular season.

As the franchise faces certain uncertainty this offseason, trade rumors have also begun circulating them, chief among them being packages focused on shipping out either three-time All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell or three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.

It is growing ever so likely that Gobert will be the one to be shipped out because of his limited capabilities on both the offensive and defensive end, despite being selected six times to an NBA All-Defensive team.

However, the same case can be made for Mitchell whose effect in the playoffs has been severely limited by the fact that he has to work overtime on offense to make up for Gobert’s lack of impact on that end.

NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley was recently asked about the thought of seeing Mitchell in a Knicks jersey and the all-time great had a funny but a grounded response.

“What are you giving up to get Donovan Mitchell, is the question? Like I said, right now you only got three players in my opinion that are probably NBA starters. Donovan Mitchell is a good player, he’s a good player,” Barkley said during the interview.

“But it depends on what you’ve got to give up. I’m not sure if you gave up half you’re team (laughs), you’d still probably be better with Donovan Mitchell. I’m not going to lie to you.”

The New York Knicks suffered a major setback this season by missing the playoffs entirely after last year’s surprising top-four finish in the Eastern Conference that saw head coach Tom Thibodeau take home his second NBA Coach of the Year award.

It was thought that Julius Randle’s Most Improved Player of the Year season was going to be a sign of great things to come for them, but it has not translated into success just yet, which may necessitate a trade acquisition this offseason.

“The problem with the Knicks, they just haven’t drafted well. You guys are just caught in a really awkward situation; I’m not going to lie. I wish I could make it easier for you. But you guys just don’t have a lot of talent. You’re not even close to being relevant right now,” Barkley later added.

With both the Jazz and Knicks left looking for answers to their own problems this summer, it will be interesting to see what moves they do to better their chances at postseason success.