The Donovan Mitchell sweepstakes are officially underway. The Utah Jazz are now definitely listening to trade offers for their three-time All-Star. As several other teams work to get their trade packages together, the New York Knicks need to pounce and offer the Jazz a monster trade offer.

The Knicks have had a decent offseason so far. They added Jalen Brunson and Isaiah Hartenstein via free agency and added future draft picks in the 2022 NBA Draft. With these moves, they are set up to trade for a star and become a solid team again. Mitchell, a great scorer and solid passer who has proven to be an outstanding playoff performer, could be just the guy they need.

The biggest factor in a Mitchell trade is RJ Barrett. The Knicks absolutely, positively should not trade Barrett in a Mitchell trade. He is a rising star and a key player who will help Mitchell win in New York. If he gets traded for Mitchell, the team in New York around him will not give him a great chance to win. Utah will very likely ask for him, though that isn't a certainty.

New York has to remain strong and keep Barrett out of an official trade package. Aside from him, everything should be on the table for the Knicks. They should offer a huge package to land Mitchell.

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The perfect trade Knicks must offer Jazz for Donovan Mitchell

Knicks get: Donovan Mitchell 

Jazz get: Evan Fournier, Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes, Cam Reddish, six first-round picks (protected 2023 first-round picks via Detroit, Dallas and Washington; 2024 first-round pick via New York; protected 2025 first-round pick via Milwaukee; 2026 first-round pick via New York)

Adding Mitchell — a native of Elmsford, New York — to the Knicks would make them instantly better and help them build for the future. A three-headed monster of him, Brunson and Barrett, along with Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson, would make for a much better team.

Yes, there are reasonable concerns with how a Brunson-Mitchell backcourt operates on defense. Neither player is very good on that end. However, Brunson will be there regardless and the other option to play shooting guard next to him is Evan Fournier, another bad defender. At least with Mitchell, the Knicks would have the offensive firepower to offset their defensive shortcomings. They wouldn't get that luxury with Fournier, a solid scorer and 3-point shooter but not a shot-creator of Mitchell's caliber.

Among all of the young players that could be traded in the deal, Quickley makes the most sense. New York already signed Brunson to be their starting point guard and Mitchell will provide a big offensive punch as well. The Knicks are reportedly working “quickly” to put together a trade package and including Quickley in it makes a lot of sense.

The Knicks would likely also have to trade one (or both) of Obi Toppin and Quentin Grimes. The Knicks should do everything they can to keep one of them, as both would be massively important bench pieces. In this trade, New York trades Grimes as well as Cam Reddish (to satisfy the contract requirements). The Knicks would have to find some more forwards for their bench but would still have Toppin.

The Jazz would get some young players and a massive collection of draft picks, including three in next year's draft. After getting four picks for Rudy Gobert, they would end up with a collection of draft capital that would rival the Oklahoma City Thunder in the next few years. Quickley and whatever other young player they get will instantly become key parts of their future.

Utah may have its eyes on Toppin and Grimes but including six picks should still make them happy. Including picks instead of Toppin or Grimes would work out best for New York, too. They have an abundance of draft picks in the coming years and the best use for them is to acquire a star.

The Knicks acquired the Dallas pick in the Kristaps Porzingis trade and the other three protected picks in draft-night deals. They have all of their first-rounders going forward, so they can afford to trade their extra picks and two of their own to land a young star. If Utah fancies some second-round picks and/or pick swaps, the Knicks can oblige that, too.

A Donovan Mitchell trade would be a huge move for the Knicks. They have the draft picks to make it happen as well as the young players. Utah will certainly see lots of competition for their star guard but very few teams can (or may be willing to) trade such a massive amount of picks. With so much buzz around the potentially “inevitable” deal, New York should work tirelessly to get it done.