Notes on the Donovan Mitchell situation, including what Jazz want and Knicks' reluctance to trade RJ Barrett

A few notes on Donovan Mitchell, the Utah Jazz, the Knicks and the Nets:

ESPN reported on Tuesday that the Jazz were listening to offers on Mitchell. As we noted earlier this month, opposing teams were highly skeptical about Utah’s original stance and believed the Jazz would entertain offers for Mitchell.

Teams gauging the trade market for Mitchell say Utah currently seeks a return similar to the Rudy Gobert trade. The Jazz received four first-round picks and a pick swap in the trade. They also received Walker Kessler, Minnesota’s 2022 first-round pick.

Utah got four other players in the deal but two of those players are on expiring deals and two are on team-friendly contracts.

Also on the Mitchell front, teams monitoring the situation believe the Jazz currently are prioritizing draft picks in a return for Mitchell.

That’s where the Knicks come in.

New York can trade up to eight of its future first-round picks in a Mitchell trade.

That gives New York an edge over other Mitchell suitors – like the Miami Heat – if Utah continues to prioritize draft picks.

However, people in touch with the Knicks prior to the draft said the club was wary of trading the combination of picks and players that it would take to land a player like Mitchell. The thinking, according to people in touch with the club at the time, was that there wouldn’t be enough left on the roster to field a contending team.

I don’t know definitively if the club’s thinking as changed since we noted this earlier in July. But I don’t believe that it has.

For example: People in touch with the club recently said New York has had no interest in trading RJ Barrett in any deal.

Is Utah interested in Barrett? That’s unknown.

If the Jazz follow the Gobert path in a Mitchell trade, Utah would seek players on team-friendly contracts.

Barrett is eligible for an extension. The deadline to agree to the extension is the day before the regular season. Both the Knicks and Barrett are optimistic about finding common ground on an extension.

If Utah acquired Barrett in a trade, the Jazz would have to negotiate an extension with Barrett or let him hit restricted free agency in the summer of 2023.

Again, if the Jazz follow the path established with the Gobert trade, you’d think that Utah would be hesitant to take on long-term salary.

Where would that leave the Knicks? Derrick Rose has a team option for 2023-24. So Utah may consider that an expiring deal. Other Knicks veterans like Julius Randle, Evan Fournier and Mitchell Robinson have multiple seasons left on their contracts.

Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes, Miles McBride, Cam Reddish and Jericho Sims are all on their first contracts or team-friendly deals. Reddish will be a restricted free agent in 2023. Toppin and Quickley will be restricted free agents in 2024.

Earlier in the free agency period, several teams monitoring the Mitchell situation saw the Heat as the favorite to land him via trade.

But Brooklyn has interest in landing Mitchell as well.

To acquire Mitchell via trade, the Nets would have to move Ben Simmons. Teams cannot trade for two players who have signed max rookie extensions.

So there is a big hurdle for the Nets to clear in any acquisition of Mitchell.

Obviously, Brooklyn is also busy with potential trades of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

The Nets obviously haven’t found an offer that meets their asking price for either player yet.

Brooklyn, sources confirm, would be comfortable with both Durant and Irving back on the roster for training camp if no deal materializes before then.

A few other things to note when thinking about a potential Mitchell trade:

Members of the Knicks organization have had concerns over the defensive backcourt of Jalen Brunson and Evan Fournier. Do those same concerns exist for a potential Mitchell-Brunson backcourt?

Before the Knicks finalized their deal with Brunson, people in touch with the club were under the impression that they felt they had the assets to acquire another top player. Whether it’s Mitchell now or another star down the road, New York certainly has the draft capital to make strong offers for stars on the market.

- Under then-team president Danny Ainge, members of the Boston Celtics liked both Tyler Herro and Mitchell Robinson prior to their respective drafts. I have no idea how Ainge, now the top basketball executive in Utah, currently feels about Herro or Robinson. For those wondering, Robinson cannot be traded until Dec. 15 of the 2022-23 season.

- There are several reports stating that Utah is willing to continue to re-tool with Mitchell on the roster. It’s possible, but it’s hard to see how the Jazz don’t ultimately trade Mitchell now that their stance on listening to offers has become public. It’s worth noting here that the Jazz waived or traded two of Mitchell’s closest teammates (Royce O’Neal, Eric Paschall) and passed on hiring Johnny Bryant as head coach. Bryant, the Knicks associate head coach, has a close relationship with Mitchell.