Insider Reveals True Holdup in Jazz-Knicks Trade for Donovan Mitchell

What's really going on in the Donovan Mitchell trade talks?

The New York Knicks and Utah Jazz are reportedly back at the negotiating table, and all bets are off on what uniform All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell will be wearing headed into the new season.

Here's the latest bread crumb to come out of the rumor mill: although the Knicks have a strong desire to keep 2021 first-round pick Quentin Grimes in a potential trade, it’s the number of unprotected first-round picks that’s holding the Mitchell dealup. 

Marc Berman of the New York Post gave his insight on the topic.

“The Knicks, too, aren’t concerned with the exact player package — just the amount of first-round picks they give up.”

This contradicts the rumors that Grimes is the asset that New York is unwilling to part with. So, are the number of unprotected first-round picks more important than Grimes' upside?

Logic tells me all Knicks players are there for the taking. If Grimes is so coveted then why trade for Mitchell when they play the same position?

Grimes lacks the body of work that is usually seen as a centerpiece in a trade of this magnitude. In fact, he had 17 DNPs (coach's decision) and only played in 46 games last year.

More often than not, these players don’t live up to the hype. Once upon a time, Dante Exum was going to be the next Deron Williams, or Rodney Hood the next Gordon Hayward. Who remembers how excited Jazz Nation was when Enes Kanter was drafted with the No. 4 pick in 2011?

That being said, it can’t be ignored that Grimes does have value with a team-friendly contract paired with a player that may have a lot of room to develop.

The former Kansas Jayhawk standout did shine in the NBA Summer League by averaging 22 points per game and earning first-team All-NBA Summer League honors. Grimes has nice physical measurements (6-foot-5 and 6-foot-8 wingspan), an offensive skill set that can translate to a positionless style of basketball, and is an above-average defender.

I understand why any franchise would love to have Grimes on their roster, but to let him be the holdup in getting a ‘face of the franchise’ talent would be absurd. Keep in mind, not only is Mitchell electrifying on the court, but he has the personality to help the Knicks viable in free agency, which is an area that New York has struggled with.

The roadblock is the amount of draft compensation, not a second-year pro whose most noteworthy professional achievement is All-Summer League accolade, or a player on the verge of a max contract that’s never been to an All-Star game. The Knicks should be okay with trading Grimes, or RJ Barrett, if it means obtaining a three-time All-Star in his prime.

Now, how many unprotected first-round picks should be involved is another conversation.

The Knicks made a recent offer to the Jazz, as reported by Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic, which included five first-round picks (only two unprotected), but with no Grimes or Barrett. On the surface, that feels like a bluff that the Knicks know the Jazz would reject. 

Adding Grimes later would justify lowering the number of picks in the minds of the Knicks front office. In a high-stakes game of cat and mouse, transparency isn’t in either team’s best interest.

Either way, Grimes shouldn’t enter the conversation as a centerpiece of the trade. Time will tell in what’s been the most eventful summer in Jazz history. 

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Follow Patrick on Twitter @pbyrnesNBA.

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