The Knicks made a huge addition to their roster this summer by signing Jalen Brunson to a four-year, $104 million deal. That was great, but the focus recently has been how New York ended up whiffing on trading for Donovan Mitchell, who was acquired by the Cavaliers.
How did this happen? Was finding a match between the Knicks and Jazz doomed from the start? Mitchell, a New York native and big Mets fan, was rumored to prefer getting traded to the Knicks, although he never formally requested such a move. The package of players and picks Utah received from Cleveland didn’t seem as big as the one New York was offering.