Report: Knicks would not be “as enthusiastic” in their pursuit of Mitchell this summer

Another reason to think Mitchell will be in Cleveland next season.

The New York Knicks were the other team in pursuit of Donovan Mitchell when the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired him from the Utah Jazz. It’s also been the team speculated most as a team Mitchell would like to play for in the future considering where he’s from.

But that being a thing this summer? Don’t count on it. From a new story from The Athletic’s Knicks beat reporter Fred Katz:

The Knicks are not in the same position today that they were a couple of summers ago when their offseason goal was to trade for Mitchell. They couldn’t make it happen, pulling out of negotiations when the price became too large.

If Mitchell were to hit the trade market again this summer, league sources say the Knicks would not be as enthusiastic in their pursuit of him — and that’s because the situation has changed.

Brunson is a star now, and Mitchell, though he’s had the best seasons of his career in Cleveland, has not shown he can fit perfectly alongside a score-first point guard who commands the ball often.

Katz writes that the situation has changed — the Knicks pursued Mitchell before Jalen Brunson became what he is now. And pairing Brunson as he is now with Mitchell wouldn’t make a ton of sense.

This also feeds into the idea that the Cavs are going to be able to keep Mitchell this summer and are poised to sign him to an extension once the NBA Finals end and they can begin negotiating with their own players. Since the Cavs’ season ended, everything has trended in that direction. And if the one team Mitchell has been most linked to isn’t interested in him this summer, doesn’t it make that all the more likely?