Randle is a Dallas native, but Wesley and Knicks president Leon Rose were hired away from CAA, the agency that represents Mitchell, to pilot the franchise. And New York’s front office has so far been unable to deliver the All-Star talent coups that organizations expect former agents-turned-executives such as Bob Myers and Rob Pelinka to deliver. The Miami Heat are being mentioned as another franchise that’s closely monitoring Mitchell’s status in Utah.
More on Donovan Mitchell to Knicks?
Jazz staffers and various figures around the league point most directly at CAA for the whispers that seem designed to push Mitchell toward requesting a trade from Utah, particularly to New York. Jazz personnel took great umbrage to Knicks executives William Wesley and Allan Houston and All-Star forward Julius Randle sitting courtside during Utah's Game 1 road win over the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs, sources said.
Teams continue to monitor the situation in Utah after the Jazz’s first-round loss to the Dallas Mavericks. If Utah decides to make major roster changes, several teams – including the Knicks – will gauge their interest on potential Donovan Mitchell trades. Teams will also gauge Utah’s interest in Rudy Gobert trades.
According to the same person who pointed to Wesley’s criticism of Thibodeau, Wesley has been selling his plan, one that eventually will land Utah’s Donovan Mitchell, a New York native. But this is not schmoozing a high school player and steering him to a college of choice, and it’s not so simple even if the relationships are in place. Rose served as a former agent for Mitchell and the front office also inserted Johnnie Bryant as associate head coach after Bryant served as an assistant in Utah.
Are there any thoughts about trading RJ and first-round draft picks to bring Donovan Mitchell to NY? — Dimos Kyrkopoylos. If Mitchell is placed on the trade block, Rose will be the first to know. Rose recruited Mitchell to CAA before the 20017 draft, though Ty Sullivan became Mitchell’s primary agent. A late lottery pick, Mitchell became an All-Star for the first time in February. Rose would love to have the Westchester product in the Knicks’ backcourt. But after an initial report the relationship between Mitchell and Jazz teammate Rudy Gobert could be “unsalvageable” because of Gobert’s sloppy behavior before the COVID-19 shutdown, steps have been taken to make peace. For now.
The Jazz are trying to win a title with Gobert and Mitchell at the forefront, and would be more prone to trade Gobert than Mitchell. But the Knicks have a lot of assets to throw at Utah, so it’s not inconceivable to build a suitable package of Barrett, their 2020 lottery pick and a one of the two future first-rounders they acquired from Dallas in the Kristaps Porzingis trade.
