Analyzing Donovan Mitchell’s Potential Fit with Knicks’ Jalen Brunson

Getting Donovan Mitchell would be huge for the Knicks, but it wouldn’t come without some legitimate concerns.

The New York Knicks have had a busy summer, as they’ve stockpiled many future first-round draft picks in addition to signing Jalen Brunson away from the Dallas Mavericks.

Now, with the Kevin Durant sweepstakes stalling, the next big domino that appears to be primed to fall in the NBA offseason is Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell being traded. Reports recently surfaced stating that the Jazz and Knicks have opened discussions on a potential Mitchell deal. A deal was apparently close to happening last week before the Knicks backed away from the negotiating table due to the Jazz asking for too many first-round picks.

Although nothing has been finalized yet, many have chimed in on the potential backcourt fit with Brunson and Mitchell. Given that they’re shorter guards, defense could be a major issue, especially when considering how strict coach Tom Thibodeau can be about that particular area. 

On the latest Mavs Step Back Podcast, Dalton Trigg and Grant Afseth give their thoughts on the potential Brunson/Mitchell pairing (15-minute mark), including why the Knicks should do it despite the defensive concerns.

Will a trade get done this week? When and if it does, can Brunson’s former team take advantage of the situation by acquiring some of the Jazz's established veteran players, including Bojan Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson, Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley and Mike Conley? All those scenarios and more are discussed, including a potential three-way trade that sees the Knicks 2023 first-round pick (from Dallas in the Kristaps Porzingis trade) going back to the Mavs.