The O.G. Anunoby trade has put the New York Knicks one step closer to legitimate championship contention.
Still, the leap they’ve been looking to take may not come by way of acquiring Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star Donovan Mitchell this season.
Are the Knicks and the Rest of the League Out of the Running to Land Donovan Mitchell This Season?
With the NBA trade deadline just over a month away, the Cavaliers have declared that they have no interest in moving Mitchell, as Marc Stein reported via Real GM:
“Indications are that the Knicks won’t go all-out in efforts to trade for Mitchell, despite the team and player having been linked in the past,” Stein said. “The Cleveland Cavaliers also told rival teams throughout December that they have no intentions of trading Mitchell.”
The Knicks were named as the frontrunners to land Mitchell, being that the shooting guard has uprearing and familial ties to the city of New York.
A tight battle brewing in the Eastern Conference standings is likely the reason why the Cavalier’s front office has proclaimed their reluctance to move their franchise player.
Not only are the Cavaliers _ games the Knicks, they are still not over the gentleman’s sweep that Julius Randle and company handed them in their first-round playoff series last year.
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Where Will the Knicks Turn With Mitchell Presumably Off the Board
Contractually, the Knicks are well over the salary cap for next season, with all of their core rotational players under contract for at least three more years, though that would not hinder Leon Rose from strongly chasing after a player of Mitchell’s caliber.
Nevertheless, the Knicks will have to set their sights elsewhere before Feb. 8 rolls around. Reigning MVP Joel Embiid just put up his Philadelphia condo up for rent, indicating that he could have wandering eyes leading him away from the 76ers.
A lot can and will happen between now and the deadline. Though Anunoby was a great addition, pressure will remain on the Knicks’ front office until that it-factor player is brought in.