Knicks Rumors: Latest on Kemba Walker and Donovan Mitchell Trade Buzz

The New York Knicks suffered another tough loss Tuesday night, falling 117-111 to the Atlanta Hawks. It was a hard-fought game that was ultimately dominated by Trae Young and the Hawks.

Young went off for 45 points and, in the process, may have ended New York's fading playoff hopes. The Knicks are now 30-42 and trail Atlanta by six games for the Eastern Conference's 10th seed. While they haven't been mathematically eliminated, they are getting close to that point.

"The position we're in, they're all must-have games," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said, per Peter Botte of the New York Post. "So that's it. But you're not eliminated until you're eliminated so keep fighting."

Whether or not New York stumbles into a play-in spot, the Knicks will be looking to retool the roster in the offseason. Thibodeau is expected to remain at the helm, according to Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer.

As for the roster, one name to monitor is point guard Kemba Walker. The four-time All-Star is rehabbing his arthritic left knee in preparation for the 2022-23 season, but he hasn't been working with the Knicks in the process.

"No, he's away from the team," Thibodeau said, per Marc Berman of the New York Post.

According to Berman, Walker has been working out in Charlotte and might view the Hornets as a potential landing spot.

"According to an NBA source, Walker has been training in Charlotte, N.C., his former home, and New York, shuttling back and forth," Berman wrote. "Walker's mother still lives in the Queen City, and the Hornets could be a future destination as he played there eight seasons."

Walker was drafted ninth overall by Charlotte in 2011, and a return during the latter stages of his career isn't unfathomable. The question is whether New York would be willing to dump him and able to move his $9.2 million salary for next season.

While Walker has been a tremendous player in the past, he was limited to only 37 games this season.

An outside player the Knicks could be eying is Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell. According to Newsday's Steve Popper, there have been "whispers" about the Knicks trying to land the 25-year-old three-time All-Star.

Popper also noted, however, those whispers may be unfounded:

"Mitchell is under contract for three more seasons and $98 million with Utah, with a $37 million player option after that, and Danny Ainge, who oversees the Jazz, has a reputation built much more on fleecing opposing general managers than handing over assets for dimes on the dollar. So the whispers around the league that the Knicks' front-office connections in the past with Mitchell, placing former Jazz assistant Johnnie Bryant prominently on the Knicks' bench and his longing to come home will make for an easy union are exaggerated."

Mitchell was born in New York and played his college ball in the New England area (Connecticut and New Hampshire). While he may want to return to the East Coast and the Knicks may want him, that's only part of the equation.

As Popper noted, Mitchell is under Utah's control through the 2024-25 season and will carry a cap hit of more than $20 million in each of the next three seasons. He does have a player option after that year, but if New York wants to acquire Mitchell before then, it will likely be a costly maneuver.

Adding Mitchell this coming offseason feels extremely unlikely.

Contract information via Spotrac.