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Where things stand on Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell trade talks with a month until camp: Shams Inside Pass

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It’s been two weeks since Kevin Durant reiterated his trade request to Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai in a face-to-face meeting and informed Tsai that he needs to choose between his 12-time All-Star player or head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks. It added a new dynamic to the biggest storyline of the offseason, an uneasy cloud that began to linger over the franchise when Durant asked out of Brooklyn on June 30. In terms of trade action, no deal is closer along at the moment, but a new suitor has emerged from the Western Conference.

With NBA training camps set to open about a month from now, here is where things stand.

The Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat remain among the most serious threats to land Durant because they have the types of pieces necessary to satisfy the Nets’ asking price in a deal for the two-time NBA Finals MVP. However, no one yet has met Brooklyn’s high price tag of an All-Star, other high-level players and draft picks — and conversations with those three front-runners have been non-existent recently. The Celtics offered All-Star Jaylen Brown, guard Derrick White and a first-round draft pick in July, according to league sources; the Raptors have refused to make Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes available; and Miami has yet to seriously engage with a package around All-Star Bam Adebayo.

The Philadelphia 76ers expressed recent interest in Durant while the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets also inquired with the Nets in late June and early July to gauge the price tag, according to sources. The New Orleans Pelicans inquired with the Nets on June 30 as well but deemed All-Star Brandon Ingram as untouchable, sources said. Also in the past month, the Atlanta Hawks offered John Collins, De’Andre Hunter and a draft pick for Durant, according to sources.

None of those conversations gained much traction. Durant has four years and $198 million remaining on his Nets contract.

One major complication to involving logical players in trade talks for Durant like Adebayo and Utah’s Donovan Mitchell is that they are unable to be acquired via trade by Brooklyn with Ben Simmons on the roster due to designated rookie extension rules.

Recently, a new team has shown interest in Durant: the Memphis Grizzlies, league sources tell The Athletic. Fresh off a 56-win season, the Grizzlies have made new inquiries to the Nets about Durant, those sources added. Memphis has five first-round draft picks available (four unprotected selections of its own and one protected via Golden State in 2024) to theoretically utilize in a trade as well as young players like Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane, Ziaire Williams, Brandon Clarke, Kennedy Chandler and David Roddy.

Moments after The Athletic reported that Durant had requested a trade back in June, a tweet from Grizzlies star Ja Morant caught a lot of attention for its obvious pro-Durant sentiment.

Grizzlies executive vice president of basketball operations Zach Kleiman, the NBA’s reigning Executive of the Year, has done a masterful job building the team’s foundation around the All-NBA star Morant and a strong supporting cast while securing assets for the present and future. The Grizzlies will not include Jackson or Bane in a potential offer for Durant, sources said, but rather a package built around their bevy of draft picks.

The Phoenix Suns similarly have dangled a package around All-Defensive wing Mikal Bridges and a handful of first-round draft picks, which has not picked up any steam with the Nets, league sources said. With Deandre Ayton signed to a four-year maximum contract and unable to be moved until January, Phoenix has attempted over the past month to make creative proposals to Brooklyn, possibly via three- or four-team trades where an All-Star-caliber player goes to the Nets. But the Suns have yet to find a suitable deal — and that is largely why they appear to be behind Boston, Toronto and Miami in the Durant sweepstakes.

Among the interested teams, the Celtics have been viewed across the league as the clear-cut answer as the team that has the ingredients to make a deal with Brooklyn happen. For now, Boston has not included guard Marcus Smart or center Robert Williams in a proposal, sources said. The Celtics have up to three first-round picks available to trade to Brooklyn. When Brooklyn rejected Boston’s offer last month, the Nets countered by requesting Brown, Smart, draft picks and potentially one more rotation player, according to sources.

So yes, Boston has the necessary pieces and Brooklyn has listened, but a gap exists.

For the Celtics, there’s a careful balance to improving the roster and maintaining their current status as a championship contender. President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens has patiently and deftly continued to strengthen the Celtics’ roster following their NBA Finals berth, adding Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari this offseason.

Now, will Boston step up to the Nets’ asking price to add a potential missing piece that has become available in a manner that has rarely happened in NBA history? We’ll have to wait and see.

There’s just over one month remaining in the NBA’s offseason. The Celtics and other teams in pursuit of Durant have time to make their best proposals and these deals can escalate quickly, but the clock is ticking for everybody involved.

Should no team intensify its pursuit and match Brooklyn’s price tag, Durant will be left with limited options other than to report to Nets training camp. Across the NBA, however, people are wondering whether the 33-year-old future Hall of Famer who will be 34 when the season starts will sit training camp if a trade is not completed.

Within recent NBA memory, there have been several routes for stars who requested trades. Some have returned to their respective team and played out the season. Elsewhere, it took Simmons until the February trade deadline to be traded last season when he staged a no-show in training camp and ultimately failed to play for the Philadelphia 76ers after the 2020-21 season ended. Jimmy Butler and James Harden, meanwhile, were traded within the first month of the season when they were disgruntled, in an uncomfortable environment and reported to play with Minnesota and Houston, respectively, in 2018 and 2020.

For their part, the Nets believe they have improved the roster and have a championship-level team. The Nets traded for Royce O’Neale, signed T.J. Warren and brought back Patty Mills and Nic Claxton while expecting the full returns of three-time All-Star Simmons and Joe Harris. All-Star Kyrie Irving also opted into his $37 million player option, committed to the 2022-23 season in Brooklyn and sources with knowledge of the situation say he has been working out with teammates and holding constructive dialogue with the organization this offseason. Brooklyn has made clear to interested teams that they plan to keep the seven-time All-Star, according to sources. The Nets were without Simmons and Harris for the majority of last season, including their playoff series against Boston, but both are set to provide a major boost to the upcoming campaign.

Simmons has been cleared for three-on-three basketball activities following back surgery in May, and he is on track to be cleared for full five-on-five activities in the coming weeks, league sources say. The Nets and Simmons expect him to be ready for training camp in late September.

For now, though, the team’s stalemate with its biggest star continues.

More NBA news and notes…

The latest on the Donovan Mitchell trade talks

The Jazz and Knicks are in discussions on a trade that would send Donovan Mitchell to New York, according to sources. A deal is not considered imminent yet, but the Knicks are motivated to acquire Mitchell and have proposed new packages to Utah’s new front office led by CEO Danny Ainge.

New York made a recent offer of Evan Fournier, Obi Toppin, additional salary and two unprotected first-round draft picks (five total), league sources tell me and The Athletic’s Tony Jones. The Jazz’s asking price has been more significant than that.

Mitchell has three guaranteed years left on his contract, allowing the Jazz to bring him into the upcoming campaign and take a patient approach to trade discussions. The Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards have been among the teams interested in Mitchell as well, sources said.

Celtics sign Valentine to training camp deal

The Celtics and free agent guard/forward Denzel Valentine have agreed to an Exhibit 10 training camp deal, sources said. Valentine will compete for one of the Celtics’ open roster spots in training camp.

Related Reading

Timeline: What has gone on since Kevin Durant’s trade request?

 (Top photo: Nathaniel S. Butler / NBAE via Getty Images)



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Knicks, Jazz re-engage in Donovan Mitchell trade talks, but hurdles remain: Sources

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After several weeks of no conversations, the New York Knicks and Utah Jazz recently re-engaged in trade talks centered on Donovan Mitchell, league sources tell The Athletic.

The Knicks and Jazz had a fresh trade conversation within the past week about potential packages for Mitchell, according to sources. There is no traction between the two teams on a deal, and no Mitchell trade is imminent for the Jazz, sources said. The Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards are also among the teams pursuing Mitchell, those sources said.

Throughout trade talks, the Knicks have made their interest in Mitchell abundantly clear, one source with knowledge of the situation said. The Knicks and Jazz seriously discussed a Mitchell trade during the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League in mid-July, but talks stalled out and led to nearly a month of inactivity between the sides. Now, with training camp just over one month away, the sides have re-ignited talks. Hurdles toward a deal remain.

GO DEEPER

How six teams could trade for Mitchell, and what NYK can do to beat them

Utah has set a high price threshold for Mitchell, who so far is believed to be comfortable with either outcome of staying with the Jazz or being traded elsewhere, sources said. Mitchell, 25, has made three consecutive All-Star appearances and has averaged 23.9 points, 4.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds over his five NBA seasons.

The Jazz have already made significant changes to their roster this offseason. They traded Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Royce O’Neale to the Brooklyn Nets in July.

The Jazz have maintained they are comfortable keeping Mitchell into the season and potentially beyond, due to him having three years remaining on his contract.

(Photo: Alex Goodlett / Getty Images)



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Memphis Grizzlies to play Golden State Warriors as part of NBA’s Christmas Day slate

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The Memphis Grizzlies are in line to be part of the NBA’s Christmas Day slate of games for the first time.

Ja Morant and the Grizzlies will face Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and the rest of the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors on Dec. 25 in San Francisco, a source with knowledge of the league’s scheduling plans told The Associated Press.

The Grizzlies were one of two current NBA franchises yet to have a game on Dec. 25. The Charlotte Hornets are now the only club still waiting for its first Christmas schedule invite.

The rest of the Christmas schedule will have Philadelphia facing New York, Milwaukee meeting Boston, the Los Angeles Lakers playing against Dallas and Phoenix going up against two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.

The Athletic was first to report on the full Christmas Day lineup of games. The NBA is expected to release the season’s full schedule later this week. The season opens Oct. 18. Training camps open in late September.

If the Lakers’ LeBron James — the all-time Christmas scoring leader, who enters the season 1,325 points behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most in NBA history — appears in that Dec. 25 game against the Mavericks, it’ll be his 17th time playing on the holiday. That would break a tie with Lakers great Kobe Bryant for the most ever.

Golden State and Memphis met in the second round of last season’s playoffs, as did Milwaukee and Boston.

This will mark the fifth consecutive year that Christmas — again, barring a late change — does not feature a rematch of the NBA Finals. Golden State topped Boston for last season’s championship; there hasn’t been a Finals rematch on Dec. 25 since the Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers played in the 2017-18 season, on their way to a fourth consecutive meeting in the title series.

Noticeably absent from the Christmas schedule: Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets. Durant told the Nets in June that he wants a trade elsewhere, reiterating that request earlier this month.

Dallas will host a Christmas game for the second time. The first was in 2011, after the Mavericks topped the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals the previous season. James and the Heat spoiled that season opener for the Mavericks, winning 105-94.

The Lakers will be playing on Christmas for the 24th consecutive year, by far the longest stretch in the league. Golden State will make its 10th consecutive Christmas appearance, Boston its seventh in a row and Milwaukee its fifth straight on Dec. 25.

New York is playing on Christmas for the 55th time, extending its record.

Of the eight teams that made the conference semifinals last season, seven appear on this year’s Christmas schedule. The exception is Miami, the No. 1 seed in the East last season, which fell to Boston in seven games in the Eastern Conference finals.

With Memphis now getting a Dec. 25 game, the longest Christmas droughts besides Charlotte’s belong to Sacramento (last Christmas game in 2003), Indiana (2004), Detroit (2005) and Orlando (2011).

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Drafting what Knicks should keep in a Donovan Mitchell trade

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The New York Knicks have plotted what they want to keep most in a potential Donovan Mitchell trade. Our experts are about to do the same.

Mike Vorkunov, who covered the Knicks for The Athletic from 2018-21, and current Knicks beat reporter Fred Katz have connected for a special activity: They will draft the pieces the Knicks could use to entice the Utah Jazz into a deal for the three-time All-Star.

The Knicks will have to pay a heavy price for Mitchell, but how expensive remains to be seen. How much is enough for the 25-year-old dynamo scorer?

Fred and Mike delved into the six players and 11 draft assets the Knicks could potentially send to the Jazz and drafted them, as if they were in a niche, trade-piece fantasy league. The goal? Select the players and/or first-round draft picks the Knicks should prioritize retaining in a hypothetical deal for Mitchell. With ferocious negotiators like Brock Aller and Danny Ainge on each side, no detail is too small, no pick too invaluable.

The draft goes 17 rounds.

It does not include Evan Fournier, Julius Randle or Derrick Rose, all of whom have large salaries that could help facilitate a trade for Mitchell. Instead, only first-round picks, first-round swaps and young players are in the pool.

There are 17 potential pieces the Knicks could use to acquire Mitchell: six players (RJ Barrett, Quentin Grimes, Miles McBride, Immanuel Quickley, Cam Reddish and Obi Toppin); first-round picks in 2023, ‘25, ‘27 and ‘29; first-round swaps in ‘24, ‘26 and ‘28; and four first-rounders from other teams (the Dallas Mavericks’ in ’23, the Detroit Pistons’ in ‘23, the Washington Wizards’ in ‘23 and the Milwaukee Bucks’ in ‘25).

To make things easier, the Knicks’ 2024, ‘26 and ‘28 first-rounders were not in the draft pool, since the most-likely construction of a hypothetical Mitchell deal would include first-rounders in 2023, ‘25, ‘27 and/or ‘29 with the possibility of swaps in the even-numbered years. By league rule, teams can trade first-round picks as far out as only seven years. For the sake of simplicity, let’s also assume that all the Knicks’ first-round picks and swaps are unprotected.

Mike and Fred added justifications for their selections below their picks.

Remember, this draft is from the perspective of what the Knicks should want to keep in a trade for Mitchell, not what the Jazz should want to receive for him. That’s especially important about the player who Team Mike could select first.

Speaking of, Team Mike is on the clock …

No 1: Team Mike selects RJ Barrett

If the Knicks trade for Mitchell they’ll look to be as good as possible during the 2022-23 season, and Barrett would be a significant player for them. They need to keep him to maximize their short-term potential. They also need to keep him to maximize their long-term potential. It will become ever more difficult to acquire high-end talent with a trade for Mitchell, let alone a star. They’ll have significantly fewer draft assets and likely be a better team, so they’ll be more likely to pick lower in the draft. Barrett is their big, in-house bet to nurture a star or at least a very good starter and not have to pay anything to get him. That’s more valuable than a far-off pick for the Knicks and that makes him so much more valuable to the franchise he’s a part of than he is for another team.

No. 2: Team Fred selects the Knicks’ 2029 first-round pick

I had Barrett No. 1 on my big board, as well, which should help put into context why it’s realistic for the 22-year-old to stay put amidst a possible Mitchell trade. The Knicks could want to keep him the most and the Jazz could want other stuff more. Barrett can become a free agent next summer and is extension-eligible now. Utah is early as can be in its rebuilding cycle. Yet, it’d have to pay him market value right away. Barrett would be approaching unrestricted free agency when the Jazz get good again. As for my selection of the 2029 first-rounder, the logic is simple: the farther out the picks go, the more uncertain we are of their positioning. Holding onto the 2029 pick keeps the future more flexible. Also, if the Knicks want to trade for another star a couple of years down the line, a plan I detailed, they’ll need the 2029 first-rounder to do it.

No. 3: Team Mike selects the Knicks’ 2027 first-round pick

The Knicks need to maintain as many of their long-term draft assets as possible. They’ll need first-round picks to either replenish their talent base or to trade for help. Or there also is the possibility that it all goes bad and they need to re-start from a bad place, and this is how they get high-end talent in place. Basic rule: try to trade as few future firsts as possible and especially the further out they’re available. Too many things can go wrong.

No. 4: Team Fred selects Quentin Grimes

Let’s say the Knicks trade for Mitchell. Let’s say they do it with the hopes of bringing in another star two or three years down the line. There’s great uncertainty in that plan — not just in if the other headliner will come but also in who he could be or what style that guy plays. Stars disrupt the way a team operates. For example..adding an All-Star, ball-dominant point guard shifts an offense’s cadence differently than an All-NBA, slashing wing would. But there is one similarity between the two: you’re not continuing business as usual if you acquire either. The beauty of Grimes is he fits next to everyone. He’s the Knicks’ best current perimeter defender. He is a knock-down 3-point shooter, moves off the ball and attacks closeouts. He showed off improved passing at summer league. Drop Grimes onto all 30 teams and he can help immediately without disrupting the ecosystem on either side of the ball. There’s tremendous value in that. I considered taking the 2025 first-rounder here, but the security of Grimes pushed me over the edge. He’s only one year into his career, and yet, we know he’s good already.

No. 5: Team Mike selects the 2028 first-round pick swap rights

This might be a little surprising — I know Fred was a little surprised when I made this pick — but this follows my basic principle: The further out from the deal you are, keep as much control of those picks as you can. Let’s call this the Jamal Murray Rule. Or the Gordon Hayward Rule.

No. 6: Team Fred selects the Knicks’ 2025 first-round pick

The Knicks’ goal in a Mitchell trade would be to maintain as much of their future as they can while massively improving their present. It’s why Mike and I both gravitate to the picks over the players.

No. 7: Team Mike selects Immanuel Quickley

I deviated from my protect the picks at all costs philosophy to take Quickley because I think he’s a young, cost-controlled playmaker who you can play in the backcourt with Mitchell or who can bring some juice off the bench. He’s probably been underutilized his first two years in New York but a Mitchell trade could clear out guard minutes, as well as some more willingness from head coach Tom Thibodeau to play him. If you look at the career trajectories for Quickley and Jalen Brunson via DARKO, they match up well, and Quickley bested him by EPM last season. The Knicks paid $104 million to Brunson this summer, so keeping Quickley at his salary seems like it’s worth bargaining for.

No. 8: Team Fred selects the 2026 first-round pick swap rights

I’m going to trash talk a little: This is the best value pick in the draft. There is a world where the Knicks acquire Mitchell and a decade down the line we consider 2026 swap rights the best piece the Jazz acquired. Imagine if the Knicks trade for Mitchell and it all goes south. They remain sub-.500. They can’t get another star to join. They wallow below the playoff picture. Well, Mitchell can become a free agent in 2025, as can Jalen Brunson, as can Randle. What if they all leave, and the Knicks are left with nothing for the 2025-26 season? At some point, you have to mitigate risk. The former Brooklyn Nets regime must still have nightmares about the 2017 draft swap they gave to the Boston Celtics, which handed the Celtics a No. 1 pick that they traded for Jayson Tatum. If I’m making a Mitchell deal, holding onto 2026 swap rights would help me sleep if only because I’d know that if it all tanked, then I’d have a high pick to begin another restructuring in ‘26.

No. 9: Team Mike selects Obi Toppin

My thinking here was: if the Knicks get Mitchell, would their likely first be better or worse than Toppin? I decided to bet on the 24-year-old lottery pick. I thought the Knicks should have picked someone else when they took Toppin eighth in the 2020 draft and still do (that someone then and now is Tyrese Haliburton) but that’s in the past. Toppin had lottery pick talent and I’ve heard of at least one team that had him in their top-five on their board that year. He had a poor start to his career but he’s grown since then. By keeping Toppin, the Knicks keep a big who could play a more uptempo game alongside Brunson and Mitchell, if they’d ever trend that way, but also give them a safety net if and when they trade Randle. I think there’s still a good amount of debate on how good Toppin is and could be but he’s likely a better prospect than who a Mitchell-led team would net in the 2023 draft.

No. 10: Team Fred selects the Knicks’ 2023 first-round pick

I’ll snag the only Knicks first-rounder remaining on the board. As to why I passed on Toppin: Thibodeau has limited his playing time, and the front office, meanwhile, continually constructs a roster that discourages the head coach from playing him. The Knicks brought back their starting center, Mitchell Robinson, and signed another center, Isaiah Hartenstein. They held onto Randle. Thibodeau is no more incentivized to play a Toppin-Randle frontcourt now than he was in 2021-22. If Toppin is bound for 16 minutes a game once again, he might be more valuable to the Jazz, who would plan on giving him a consequential role.

No. 11: Team Mike selects the Bucks’ 2025 first-round pick

(NOTE: The pick is top-four protected in 2025, then extinguishes if it does not convey that season.)

Picking between the platter of assorted protected future picks the Knicks own was probably the most frustrating part of this exercise. This pick is the most lightly protected of all the non-Knicks picks, so, hey, take a shot at Bucks calamity. Even dynasties have bad years eventually (see the Warriors). Maybe that 2024-25 season is the one that all goes haywire for the Bucks.

No. 12: Team Fred selects the Wizards’ 2023 first-round pick

(NOTE: The pick is top-14 protected in 2023, top-12 protected in ‘24, top-10 protected in ‘25, top-eight protected in ‘26, then becomes two second-round picks if it does not convey by then.)

I have this pick ranked as the Knicks’ best one from another team. It is less protected than the Bucks’ one, but the most-likely scenario is that the Bucks continue to be good as long as Giannis Antetokounmpo is around. Meanwhile, the Wizards gun for the playoffs and commonly barely miss out. This is one of the picks the Knicks received in their series of trades on 2022 NBA Draft night, when they sent out No. 11 to the Oklahoma City Thunder. With the way Washington rolls, it’s possible this ends up around the same range as the one they dealt to OKC but in 2024, ‘25 or ‘26.

No. 13: Team Mike selects the Pistons’ 2023 first-round pick

(NOTE: The pick is top-18 protected in 2023, top-18 protected in ‘24, top-13 protected in ‘25, top-11 protected in ‘26 and top-nine protected in ‘27, then becomes a second-round pick if it does not convey by then.

I just didn’t want to bet on Luka Doncic to miss the postseason next season.

No. 14: Team Fred selects the Mavericks’ 2023 first-round pick

(NOTE: The pick is top-10 protected in 2023, ‘24 and ‘25, then turns into a second-round pick if it does not convey by then.)

Simple logic here: I’m taking the final available first-round pick. Mike and I agree this is the Knicks’ least-valuable first-rounder.

No. 15: Team Mike selects the 2024 first-round pick swap rights

Hey, maybe Thibodeau was trying to tell us something by not playing Reddish, the 21-year-old archetypal wing two years removed from being a top-10 pick. So, I’ll take the swap.

No. 16: Team Fred selects Cam Reddish

Considering he has many of the physical tools, it’s possible that we’ll both look foolish for letting Reddish fall so far, but it’s difficult to justify selecting him higher than here. Think about it like this: Reddish asked for a trade from the Atlanta Hawks last summer. They took action quickly after. The league knew Reddish was available, and Atlanta made the price to land him clear: It would take a first-round pick. No one offered one until the Knicks traded a heavily-protected first, via the Charlotte Hornets, for him in January. Now, coming off a shoulder injury and a Knicks coach hesitant to play him, Reddish’s value is lower, which meant I couldn’t justify choosing him over any of the first-rounders or other players in our draft pool.

No. 17: Team Mike selects Miles McBride

Somebody has to go last. Sorry, Miles. You might be the best Miles to hit New York since Miles Morales but circumstances worked against you.

Related reading

What should Knicks be willing to trade for Donovan Mitchell?
Knicks, Jazz are perfect Donovan Mitchell trade partners, but imperfect negotiation partners
Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell to Knicks? Why New York has the pieces to make it happen

(Photo of Donovan Mitchell and RJ Barrett: Wendell Cruz / USA Today)



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Knicks, Jazz are perfect Donovan Mitchell trade partners, but imperfect negotiation partners

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It’s been nearly a week since reports of the New York Knicks and Utah Jazz discussing a possible trade for three-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell became public. The offseason is at the point when it should be winding down. Yet, that’s not happening.

The Mitchell and Kevin Durant situations persist. Then again, a strenuous process should have been the expectation all along — especially with Mitchell and the Knicks.

There is something that makes sense about Mitchell ending up in New York. He’s from the area. The Knicks front office has constructed a roster of encouraging young players and many draft picks with the hopes of using them one day to land a star. Mitchell has always been one of the supposed targets. Meanwhile, the Jazz are turning to a rebuild. They don’t care as much about a trade with the Knicks as they do about one for the New York picks. But even though these two teams seem like an ideal match, it’s no fluke this is taking time to hash out.

In an article last week, I compared Jazz CEO Danny Ainge to Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey in that both have a strong enough stomach to wait out awkward situations — a reference, of course, to the way Morey held on to Ben Simmons for months last season, even as the discomfort between Simmons and Philadelphia became seemingly more and more untenable. But in reality, Ainge’s business personality deviates a bit from Morey’s.

Every so often, when he sets his heart on a player, Morey will chase trades. Ainge is famous for setting a price for a guy he’s trying to deal or for one he’s trying to acquire, then waiting out the situation until someone meets that exact cost.

Don’t want to trade six or seven first-rounders for Mitchell? Fine. Ainge will hang up the phone and flee to the golf course without any regrets.

Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri has a similar negotiation strategy. Some may call it stubborn. Considering the success both Ujiri and Ainge have had, it might be more appropriate to call it principled.

So, this adventure strings out (even if New York seems like an intuitive next stop for Mitchell) and not just because of the characters on the Jazz’s side.

Ainge’s mentality clashes with the Knicks’ reputation.

Leon Rose is New York’s team president, but he doesn’t do most of the day-to-day trade calls. Most commonly, those are up to vice president of basketball and strategic planning Brock Aller, who oversees salary cap management. Every once in a while, someone else will take the reins, especially when another Knicks higher-up has a solid relationship with an executive in an opposing front office they’re trying to make a deal with.

General manager Scott Perry was essential to the draft-day trades with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Detroit Pistons because of his relationships with Thunder GM Sam Presti and Pistons GM Troy Weaver. Both Perry and Weaver worked under Presti in OKC.

Most commonly, however, Aller is on the phone. Rose will often splice in near the end to wrap up deals.

Aller obsesses over marginal value, which should be refreshing for Knicks fans who remain traumatized from teams of the past needlessly tossing first-round picks into the fireplace. He wants to hold onto picks and acquire others. He notoriously squeezes teams just for the draft rights to an extra player, something that’s far more trivial to most others.

And thus, the Jazz and Knicks have the quintessential dynamic to let negotiations linger.

One side is famous for setting a price and sticking to it; the other is known for haggling over details so minute that, at times, trade partners have relented just to end the conversation and get the deal done.

Why do the draft rights to this 27-year-old dude picked 47th seven years ago matter, anyway?

Maybe one side becomes desperate enough to stumble to the other’s asking price. Or maybe they both realize it’s best for everyone if they meet in the middle, and something gets done sooner because of it. But the Knicks aren’t the only team going after Mitchell. If this saga ends up taking longer than it already has, then the personalities involved will likely play a part in that.

Whether a Mitchell-to-the-Knicks deal happens or not will come down to value that’s far more than marginal.

For all the talk about how many draft picks the Jazz want back for the 25-year-old, it’s become clear over the past week that the quantity of selections is not as important as the quality of them.

The Knicks have four first-round picks from other teams (the Washington Wizards’ in 2023, the Dallas Mavericks’ in ’23, the Pistons’ in ’23 and the Milwaukee Bucks’ in ’25) as well as all of their own. Each of the Dallas, Washington, Detroit and Milwaukee picks is protected. A lot can happen between now and 2025, and injuries can always skid a team down the standings, but the Bucks’ pick is not likely to be in the lottery. The Mavs’ one is most likely to fall in the 20s next summer. The other two selections, because of the ways they’re protected, can never be better than ninth.

Discourse has been about how many draft picks the Jazz want. But if the Knicks were to deal, say, six first-rounders for Mitchell, there would be a substantial difference between sending the four from other teams, along with an unprotected one in 2023 and a protected one in ’25 and sending out four unprotected of their own as well as the Washington and Detroit ones. The latter deal mortgages New York’s future in a way the former one does not. And the discrepancy between those two packages requires more than pawn-shop bartering.

The irony of the Knicks’ position is that in another world, they may not have to include so many picks in a deal for Mitchell.

This team has drafted well since Rose took over the front office, walking away from the 2020 and ’21 drafts with Obi Toppin (No. 8 in ’20), Immanuel Quickley (No. 25 in ’20), Quentin Grimes (No. 25 in ’21), Miles McBride (No. 36 in ’21) and Jericho Sims (No. 58 in ’21). Each one of those players has a chance to become a real contributor to a winning team. Some are already at that level. (It’s too early to tell on 2022 second-rounder Trevor Keels.) And then there’s the 22-year-old RJ Barrett, as well.

But last season, the Knicks signed veterans to play over many of those aforementioned young guys, a strategy that can hurt trade negotiations with other teams. If Toppin, for example, got to play consistently in 2021-22, he might have more value. Instead, he was a strict backup, and if the Knicks insist he’s better than that in trade talks with the Jazz or anyone else, it’s easy to counter by asking, “If he’s better than a 16-minute player, then why do you play him only 16 minutes?”

If the Knicks had played Toppin more, if they’d led Quickley head the offense before the final few weeks of the season, then maybe one or both could have blown up before the spring (a time when production on losing teams always comes into question), and maybe the hypothetically higher value of those guys could have saved them a pick or two in a Mitchell trade.

Quentin Grimes making strides in Las Vegas, where he just landed on the all-summer league first team, certainly doesn’t hurt the Knicks’ cause. Neither does Ainge’s rep for loving combo guards. He was a big fan of Quickley leading into the 2020 draft.

But none of that matters if the Knicks and Jazz don’t find a way to meet in the middle.

The Jazz know the Knicks have jonesed for a star for years. The Knicks know their B-package is better than any A-package from other rumored Mitchell suitors. Both sides have diligent ways of trying to win deals.

They are perfect trade partners, but imperfect negotiation partners. For now, it seems each side is waiting for the other to blink.

(Photo of Danny Ainge: Jeffrey Swinger / USA Today)



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Donovan Mitchell throws out first pitch before Cyclones game

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The uncertainty over Donovan Mitchell’s future doesn’t seem to be bothering him.

Though the three-time All-Star guard’s name has been bandied about in trade rumors, with the Knicks interested in landing the high-scoring standout and the rebuilding Jazz believed to be serious about moving him, Mitchell enjoyed a Saturday in Coney Island.

Mitchell took several rounds of batting practice and threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Brooklyn Cyclones’ game at Maimonides Park. He joked with reporters, signed autographs for fans and posed for photos as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

He had just one request.

“We’re not talking basketball,” the 25-year-old Elmsford, N.Y., native said. “Ain’t nobody talking basketball.”

The fans at the game, however, had other ideas. There were pleas for Mitchell to play for the Knicks. Several people in attendance had Knicks gear on. The word “Knicks” was used frequently.

“We want you to come to New York, Donovan,” one fan bellowed. “We need you in New York.”

Donovan Mitchell, who has been a subject of Knicks’ trade talks with the Jazz, throws out the first pitch before the Brooklyn Cyclones game.
Joseph E. Amaturo

A kid, standing next to him, screamed: “Pleeeaaaaase.”

That drew a smile and a grin from Mitchell.

After he threw out the first pitch, and walked toward the dugout, the fans gave it another go.

“Come to the Knicks, Donovan Mitchell,” a man yelled. “Come to the Knicks.”

“We love you in New York, ‘Spida,’ ” another said.

Then, a brief “Go, New York, Go New York, Go,” chant broke out.

Mitchell is in limbo at the moment. The Jazz recently traded veterans Rudy Gobert and Royce O’Neale and are in the process of tearing down the Western Conference contender.

Knicks’ trade target Donovan Mitchell takes batting practice before the Brooklyn Cyclones game.
Joseph E. Amaturo

New Utah CEO Danny Ainge made a killing in the Gobert deal, landing four first-round picks (three unprotected) and a pick swap, along with the 20th overall pick in this year’s draft, center Walker Kessler, and quality players Patrick Beverly, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt in the blockbuster deal. There have been reports Ainge, in exchange for Mitchell, wants up to six first-round picks and young Knicks players Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley, Miles McBride and Quentin Grimes, a haul the Knicks have so far been unwilling to offer.

It’s no secret, however, that Knicks president Leon Rose, who was one of Mitchell’s agents, has an affinity for the guard. Mitchell has a friendship with new Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson through Brunson’s teammate at Villanova, NBA free agent Eric Paschall, and is close to Knicks assistant coach Johnnie Bryant from their days together with the Jazz. He is represented by CAA, the agency Rose once ran. Mitchell grew up locally and now lives mostly in Greenwich, Conn., during the offseason.

It was a matter of coincidence that Mitchell was in New York City at the Cyclones’ game shortly after trade rumors began to heat up. This was planned well in advance. Mitchell has strong connections to the Cyclones and the Mets’ franchise. His father, Donovan Mitchell Sr., works for them now as their senior director of player relations and community outreach. As a child, Mitchell served as a bat boy for the Cyclones when his father was the team’s hitting coach.

Mitchell showed a pretty good swing in batting practice, hitting four home runs. He played baseball growing up, before focusing all of his energy on basketball early in high school.
When he threw out the first pitch, Mitchell drilled a strike from the rubber — not the front of the mound as celebrities are known to do — but the catcher couldn’t squeeze it.

What that means for the Knicks’ pursuit of Mitchell remains unclear.

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Knicks, Jazz engage in Donovan Mitchell trade talks

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It appears a trade of Donovan Mitchell to the Knicks is more than a pipe dream.

Just over 24 hours after word leaked out that the rebuilding Jazz were listening to offers on the three-time All-Star guard, The Athletic reported Wednesday night that the Knicks have engaged Utah in talks on Mitchell. The Jazz are still talking to other teams, but the Knicks have become the “focused destination” in recent days.

On paper, the deal is a no-brainer.

Donovan Mitchell and Leon Rose
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Mitchell is a difference-maker at only 25 years of age. He is a New Yorker who understands the pressure that comes with playing for the Knicks, and is repped by CAA, the agency Knicks president Leon Rose once ran. He even has a relationship with the newest Knick, Jalen Brunson, due to a common close friend, NBA free agent Eric Paschall.

But connections alone won’t get it done this time, not like the courtship of Brunson, the former Mavericks star who signed as a free agent. To land Mitchell, it will take a haul. That could mean franchise building block RJ Barrett and other young players, such as Quentin Grimes. It likely would mean several first-round draft picks.

As much as Rose and the Knicks may want Mitchell, the price could be exorbitant.

Remember, the Jazz recently received four first-round picks (three unprotected) and a pick swap from the Timberwolves for Rudy Gobert, a solid player but not as valued as Mitchell.

They also landed quality players Patrick Beverly, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt, along with the 20th overall pick in this year’s draft, center Walker Kessler, in the blockbuster deal.

The Knicks own 11 first-round picks over the next seven years, and the Jazz are reportedly interested in accumulating draft picks.

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Knicks, Jazz engage in Donovan Mitchell trade talks

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The Jazz and Knicks have begun discussions on a potential trade to send three-time NBA All-Star Donovan Mitchell to New York, sources tell The Athletic.

The Jazz are having conversations with multiple teams on a Mitchell deal, but the Knicks have emerged as the focused destination over the past several days, sources said. Both sides have discussed a deal framework in the past 24 hours, those sources said.

The Knicks possess eight future first-round picks — four of their own and four acquired via trades — to use in a package. New York also has stockpiled young players, such as Quentin Grimes who is believed to be of interest to Utah, sources said.

The Jazz, who saw their NBA title window close this past season with a loss in six games to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs, are focused on obtaining draft picks and younger players who are on rookie-scale deals. Sources say the Jazz have made all of their veteran players available in trade talks, and there are no untouchable players currently on the roster. Guards Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley and Jordan Clarkson have been pursued by teams across the league in recent weeks.

After the blockbuster Rudy Gobert trade to Minnesota that saw four-rounders sent to Utah, the Jazz have up to 11 first-round draft picks through 2029 and appear primed to acquire even more in a Mitchell deal to jump-start a full rebuild in a new era under CEO Danny Ainge and head coach Will Hardy. It appears that draft compensation is a goal in a potential deal.

“You’re over the tax, no draft picks, and our team loses in the first round,” Ainge said on Saturday. “It wasn’t fun for us. We want it to be fun for our fans and our players, but we just haven’t had much flexibility to do anything over the last little while.”

Miami has also expressed interest in Mitchell but has only two first-rounders able to be traded and a potential centerpiece in Tyler Herro, who is extension-eligible. Because of this, the Heat would likely have to engage a third team in a trade to supply the Jazz with the draft compensation needed for them to feel motivated enough to trade Mitchell.

Mainly because of draft night movements, the Knicks don’t have that issue. They have the draft capital and the young players needed to engage the Jazz in trade conversation. New York is motivated to give the Jazz a significant package. But the Knicks are wary, sources say, of giving away the proverbial store to the Jazz. They would like to come away from a potential deal with the front-end talent and the depth needed to be a factor within the Eastern Conference.

For the Knicks, there’s incredible interest in a talent and a leader such as  Mitchell, who has the qualities to become the face of the franchise and a star in New York City. Mitchell was born in Elmsford, N.Y., and often spends his offseason time around the NYC area. Three of the NBA’s bright stars have been speculated as targets for the Knicks since president of basketball operations Leon Rose took over: Mitchell, Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns and Phoenix’s Devin Booker.

Now the Knicks are set to make the pursuit of Mitchell in earnest. He would be the most recognizable homegrown star the Knicks have had since Stephon Marbury, who was raised in Coney Island, came from a long family lineage of star players, and won a city title at Madison Square Garden in high school.

Utah had long expressed a desire to keep Mitchell to try to build around him. Utah’s bar for trading Mitchell is high, and, according to league sources, indeed the asking price in initial discussions has been substantial.

(Photo of Donovan Mitchell: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)



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Quentin Grimes shows out as Knicks open summer league with win

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LAS VEGAS — Quentin Grimes’ goal was to “dominate” summer league play. 

It took him some time Friday night, but the Knicks’ young guard followed through in his team’s opening game. 

After missing eight consecutive shots, Grimes took off in the second half, leading the Knicks to a 101-88 victory over the defending Las Vegas Summer League champion Warriors at the Thomas and Mack Center. 

With team president Leon Rose, owner James Dolan coach Tom Thibodeau and teammates Julius Randle, Immanuel Quickley, Cam Reddish and Obi Toppin in attendance, Grimes finished with 24 points, eight assists, four rebounds, two steals and just one turnover in 32 quality minutes. 

“I feel like I kind of dominated or almost got close in the second half,” Grimes said. “Just try to dominate offensively, defensively by being in the right positions. It’s not always about making shots.” 

Quentin Grimes dominated in the Knicks’ first Summer League game.
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While his perimeter jumper was off for most of the night — the former first-round pick out of Houston went 4-for-14 from 3-point range — the 6-foot-4 Grimes kept on shooting. 

Even after hitting two in a row from distance early in the third quarter to get going, Grimes didn’t settle for long jumpers. He attacked the basket and finished through contract, something he has worked on this offseason to complement his 3-point shot. He hit seven of his last 12 shots, and also was a strong distributor on this night. 

“Hopefully I’ll have a bigger role as a playmaker [this year] and also stick to my roots as a defensive player and as a shooter,” he said. 

Quentin Grimes finished with 24 points, eight assists, four rebounds and two steals.
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This is a crucial offseason for Grimes, the best Knicks rookie last year, whose progress was set back by a knee injury late in the year. Thibodeau has raved about his defense, which may give Grimes a shot at a starting role in the backcourt next year, alongside newcomer Jalen Brunson. 

He is hoping to make a statement over the next 10 days in Las Vegas. With that in mind, Friday night was a strong start for him. 

Feron Hunt added 17 points, Jericho Sims had 16 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks and Miles McBride chipped in 14 points and seven assists in the win. 

Moses Moody, a lottery pick a year ago, led all scorers with 34 points for the Warriors. 

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Mark Cuban has no hard feelings about Jalen Brunson’s Knicks move

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LAS VEGAS — If there are hard feelings between the Mavericks and the Knicks over Jalen Brunson, Mark Cuban did a good job of hiding any animosity. 

The Dallas owner had only positive things to say on Friday about the point guard who has agreed to a four-year, $104 million deal to join the Knicks. 

“Jalen earned the right to do that,” Cuban told The Post from the NBA summer league at the Thomas and Mack Center. “NBA teams always say, well, it’s a business when you trade somebody or whatever, and it’s a business. He earned the right to make a decision as a free agent. So he made the choice. More power to him. I wish him nothing but the best. 

“Jalen is a great basketball player. That’s why we wanted to keep him. The Knicks will love him; the city will love him. The thing about Jalen, you give him a task and tell him where to improve his game, he’ll work his ass off to do it. You guys got a good one.” 

Jalen Brunson
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Brunson, 25, developed into a difference-maker with the Mavericks after getting selected in the second round in 2018. He helped Dallas reach the Western Conference final this year after a breakout postseason performance saw him average 21.6 points in 18 playoff games. 

When asked about reports of potential tampering by the Knicks, Cuban smiled. 

“That’s up to the NBA, that’s not my job” the owner said. 

The Knicks hired Brunson’s father, Rick, to join coach Tom Thibodeau’s staff, and team president Leon Rose’s son, Sam, is Brunson’s agent. 

Cuban also didn’t have a problem with Knicks executives William Wesley and Allan Houston, along with forward Julius Randle, attending an opening-round playoff game between the Mavericks and Jazz, which drew headlines at the time. 

“Oh, I don’t care. They can buy tickets,” Cuban said. “Being at a playoff game doesn’t change anything.” 

Mark Cuban
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Two other members of the Mavericks, coach Jason Kidd and former Knick Reggie Bullock, also discussed Brunson’s departure on Friday. 

“We can’t replace Brunson. He’s a great player,” Kidd said on ESPN. “I’m happy for him and his family, signing a deal in New York. It’s well deserved. We wanted him back, but he picked New York.” 

Bullock, who enjoyed a strong season with the Knicks in 2020-21 but wasn’t brought back, had similar positive things to say about Brunson. 

He did offer an interesting thought on him joining the Knicks, though. 

“That’s his problem, that’s him,” Bullock, who is close with Randle and Thibodeau, told The Post. He later said: “He’ll do great. Great off-the-court guy. … Great point guard, works hard, he’s going to lead them into the right direction.” 

Cuban declined to say if the Mavericks considered upping their offer to Brunson. ESPN had reported they were only willing to offer him a five-year deal in the ballpark of the four-year, $85 million deal Raptors guard Fred VanVleet signed in 2020. Brunson declined a four-year, $55.5 million contract from Dallas after the trade deadline, and now he is a Knick. 

“I’m happy for him. It’s not like he was just some guy, well, he was just a player, he got his money,” Cuban said. “He’s a good guy, man. He’s got a heart of gold. There’s nothing not to like.” 

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