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The New York Knicks and Utah Jazz have re-engaged on trade talks centered around Donovan Mitchell, but there's one major hurdle the two teams can't seem to resolve: picks.
According to the latest update from Marc Berman of the New York Post, the real issue holding up the Mitchell trade to the Knicks is not the players to include but rather the number of picks Utah wants and New York is willing to give. It's not simple picks as well, as were talking about unprotected first-rounders here.
“It’s not about the players in the package. It’s not about the amount of first-round picks,” Berman wrote. “According to sources, Jazz president Danny Ainge and Knicks president Leon Rose are at a Donovan Mitchell stalemate over really one thing — the amount of ‘unprotected' first-round picks in the package.”
The Knicks' hesitance is understandable. Unlike the Minnesota Timberwolves, they don't want to overpay in a trade with the Jazz–even if it's in exchange for an All-Star player like Donovan Mitchell.
This update from Berman corroborates his earlier report that the Knicks don't want to give too much assets that “could leave them stuck in an area far below championship contender.” They have been a mediocre team for years before finding some relevance in recent years, so they really need to be careful about giving away their assets for the present while disregarding their future.
One side has to give in one way or another for a Mitchell trade to push through, but as things currently stand, no one is budging to each others' demands.
