Windhorst: Donovan Mitchell Knicks Trade Could Land Jazz 'Historic Pick Haul'

The New York Knicks and Utah Jazz are continuing to negotiate a potential trade involving star point guard Donovan Mitchell.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst said on Thursday's episode of NBA Today that it appears inevitable that the two sides will reach an agreement and that it would cost the Knicks substantial draft capital.

"I do think there's a good chance Donovan Mitchell is gonna end up on the Knicks at the end of this," Windhorst said. "And I think we're gonna see a historic pick haul, even if the Knicks try to play hardball between now and then."

Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic reported Wednesday that the Jazz have had discussions with teams about possible trades for Mitchell and that the Knicks "have emerged as the focused destination over the past several days."

New York is poised to make a move after it secured three first-round picks during last month's draft. Including a 2019 deal with the Dallas Mavericks, the Knicks have stockpiled four first-rounders via trades, and they have control of their own first-round picks. They also have an intriguing group of young players that could interest the Jazz.

Utah would enter a complete rebuild if it parts with Mitchell. The Jazz last week dealt star center Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves for five players and four first-round picks plus a pick swap. Utah can be expected to seek a similar deal for Mitchell.

An All-Star in each of the last three seasons, Mitchell is one of the most promising young players in the league. The 25-year-old has averaged over 20 points per game in each of his five seasons. He tallied 25.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, a career-best 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game in 2021-22. However, the Jazz have not advanced past the second round of the playoffs since 2007.

If the Knicks were to acquire Mitchell, it would be a franchise-changing move. New York finished 37-45 last season and fell short of the playoffs just one year after earning the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks have promising pieces in place such as Jalen Brunson, RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson, but Mitchell would give them a bona fide superstar.