Windhorst on Donovan Mitchell Rumors: 'Some' Believe Knicks Trade Is an Inevitability

Amid reports that the Utah Jazz will listen to trade offers for Donovan Mitchell, one popular landing spot for the 25-year-old are the New York Knicks.

Appearing on Wednesday's Get Up (starts at 2:35 mark), ESPN's Brian Windhorst noted "some" people in the NBA believe a Mitchell trade to New York is an inevitability.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Tuesday that rival teams feel say the Jazz are "now showing a willingness to listen on possible trade scenarios" for the three-time All-Star.

Even before the Jazz started to undertake their rebuild by trading Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves, there have been people connecting Mitchell to the Knicks for years.

There was speculation during Utah's first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks that Knicks' brass was planning a push for Mitchell.

Knicks vice president William Wesley, special assistant to the general manager Allan Houston and director of pro scouting Makhtar N’diaye were at Game 1 of the Jazz-Mavs series.

It turns out that group may have been there to scout Dallas guard Jalen Brunson, who wound up signing with the Knicks as a free agent.

Mitchell has ties to New York. He was born in Elmsford and his father works for the New York Mets.

The Jazz seemed to signal they're going to rebuild by sending Gobert to the Timberwolves. They received a package of five players, four first-round draft picks and a 2026 pick swap in the deal.

If the Knicks want to make a play for Mitchell, they certainly have the draft capital to potentially satisfy Utah's front office. They could have up to seven first-round picks between 2023-25, including four in 2023 alone.

Mitchell has three more guaranteed years remaining on his five-year, $163 million contract. The deal also includes a $37.1 million player option for 2025-26. He has averaged at least 20 points per game in each of his first five seasons, including 26.1 per game since the start of 2020-21.

The Knicks haven't had a player average at least 25 points per game in a season since Carmelo Anthony in 2013-14 (27.4).