Although the pursuit of Donovan Mitchell becomes complicated with Barrett's extension, the New York Knicks are reportedly still determined to get the Utah Jazz guard.
In fact, according to Mark Berman of the New York Post, the Knicks don't think the Barrett trade will reduce their chances of acquiring Mitchell. If that had been the case in the first place, they wouldn't have made that deal.
"Knicks 'want' to complete Mitchell trade without Barrett, source says. If Knicks felt Barrett case would kill deal, they wouldn't do it, source says "
While Jazz owner Danny Ainge does want RJ Barrett, his first priority is still to acquire as many draft picks as possible: four are rumored to be unprotected. wheel.
Due to the poison pill clause , extending Barrett's contract makes it difficult for the Knicks to trade him. While moving young players is still a possibility, matching salaries in a deal would be a huge and problematic task.
The Knicks have other young players they could trade, making a trade for Donovan Mitchell still possible. Obi Toppin and Quentin Grimes are considered the most likely pieces to be moved, along with Evan Fournier 's contract. At the end of the day, though, the trade will only go through if New York and Utah agree on the number of draft picks included in the deal.
