There is a straightforward rationale behind why the Jazz and Knicks want to complete a Donovan Mitchell trade before training camp and starting the season (the Knicks remain the clear frontrunner to land Mitchell).
Before the season begins, the Knicks want Mitchell to spend as much time working with their system and playing with their other new guard, Jalen Brunson. For the Jazz, Mitchell's presence at training camp provides a significant daily distraction because first-year coach Will Hardy will constantly be faced with Mitchell-related inquiries, fair or not. The Jazz is seeking to tank and position themselves in the race to sign Victor Wembanyama once the season begins, but Mitchell screws with that because he is a great basketball player and wins games.
According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst on his Hoop Collective podcast, now that the turmoil surrounding the Kevin Durant trade is gone (for the time being), the league's attention is on the Mitchell trade, and the Jazz wants to complete it.
"[Tim] MacMahon, you mentioned last week, I think, that you believed the Jazz would get Donovan Mitchell through a trade before the game. The Jazz appears to want to try to go even earlier than that, based on my conversations with individuals throughout the league. They want to travel ahead of training camp.
"It does seem like the Jazz is trying to put the gas on here when I speak to people in the league," I said to 'juice' the offer, particularly the New York Knicks' offer.
Training camps begin on September 26.
The Knicks, widely considered the frontrunners for Mitchell, reportedly gave him five first-round picks (two of which were unprotected), along with Obi Toppin and Evan Fournier. RJ Barrett's inclusion in the deal has been a topic of discussion, but the Jazz reportedly wants more unprotected picks instead (they got three for Rudy Gobert plus a fourth pick that is just top-five protected).
Who else is out there, so New York doesn't need to increase its offer? Ian Begley of SNY.TV writes that the Cavaliers are no longer interested in talking.
The Miami Heat covets Mitchell, but they can only offer two unprotected selections (or three if they can negotiate lesser protections with the Thunder) and a player package centered around Tyler Herro. Even though Miami is a solid team and a quality organization that plays hard every night and makes the most of the talent on the roster, the Jazz probably values the Knicks picks more. Since the Heat will never be bad, the value of their picks is diminished. However, history suggests that the Knicks' picks might be quite strong even with Mitchell on the roster.
In the end, everyone in the league anticipates a deal between the Knicks and Jazz; the only concerns are how it will look and when it will be finalized. In response to the second query, it might happen sooner rather than later.
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