Knicks Ex-GM: Donovan Mitchell Isn't a 'Singular Force,' Needs More Around Him to Win
Former New York Knicks general manager Scott Perry revealed that the front office wasn't convinced that Donovan Mitchell could be a one-man offense during trade talks last summer.
"Obviously we made a push to trade for him," he said, per The Hoop Genius podcast (h/t Stefan Bondy of the New York Post). "But it was going to be done within reason. He was a good player but he needed more around him to win."
"Because if he was that singular force, Utah probably would've been in the conference finals if he were that singular force," Perry added. "But he wasn't that singular force. That's not a criticism against him. That's just an evaluation that you must make."
Mitchell ended up with the Cleveland Cavaliers instead, as part of a trade centered around Lauri Markkanen and three unprotected first-round picks.
Perry served as New York's general manager from 2017-2023, although the two sides agreed to part ways in a "mutual decision" this past summer (via Bondy of the New York Post).
In Mitchell's introductory press conference with the Cavaliers following the blockbuster trade in 2022, he revealed to reporters that he thought he'd be heading back to his hometown team.
"All summer I didn't really say much, I just let you guys do what you guys do, to be honest. I thought for sure I was going back home, I'm not gonna lie about that," the four-time All-Star said.
While Perry acknowledged Mitchell's talent level, he expressed concerns over New York's ceiling after a potential trade.
"(Mitchell's) an excellent basketball player. Multi-year All-Star. Tremendous young man. New York kid," he said (per The Hoop Genius podcast). "But you got to ask yourself, if the other team you're tracking with is wanting to take two-thirds or three-quarters of all your young talent, and all of your draft capital, is what's left behind going to good enough for you to win rather than hold on to what you have and be a little patient?"
While the Knicks still have a sizable amount of future draft picks, the front office hasn't been able to trade for a star to pair alongside point guard Jalen Brunson just yet.
Despite the Cavaliers' early postseason exit, Mitchell still averaged 28.3 points and 4.4 assists per game while shooting just over 48 percent from the field during his first year in Cleveland.
In the team's opening game of the 2023-24 season, the 27-year-old scored 27 points on 11-21 shooting in a victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
