Nearly everyone in the NBA believed the Jazz would eventually trade Donovan Mitchell to the Knicks until a Woj bomb revealed he was moving to Cleveland. After that unexpected deal, more time has been spent debating whether the Knicks blew it or chose wisely by not overbidding Mitchell in Cleveland.
What were the Knicks' executives thinking? Based on his interaction with New York front office savant William "World Wide" Wessley, Charles Barkley recently shared some insight during an interview on Sirius XM NBA Radio.
I discussed this last night over dinner with World Wide Wes. Wes, why didn't y'all make the swap? I questioned. Oh, guy, he says. Ignore anything you read in the media. [The Jazz] desired my wife and children... We were interested in the deal, but he said, "They were interested in my wife, my children, and my grandchildren. They merely intended to defraud someone. Dude, we're going to have to pass on it, he says. You can't give away everything, so I give those guys credit.
We should always take Charles Barkley's opinions with a grain of salt since he is just as a provocateur as an NBA analyst. Or a whole shaker, although these remarks are consistent with other reporting.
The non-trade in New York has made one abundantly clear: There was no agreement within the front office of the Knicks on how to proceed with this trade. Many powerful individuals in New York's front office are accustomed to making decisions — Leon Rose, World Wide Wes, Gerson Rosas (who handled a large portion of the day-to-day negotiating), Scott Perry, owner James Dolan, and the list goes on and on — and this can result in conflicting messages. It's evident from the depth of reports coming out of NYC that some members of the Knicks front office were more interested in closing this deal than others. As a result, there are a variety of possible approaches and proposals, with Utah attempting to get more from New York. The Cavaliers' offer was straightforward; the maximum they could provide was three unprotected selections. On the table, it was.
It's tough to determine whether the Knicks made the right decision by not increasing their offer to close the transaction, as mentioned while analyzing the winners and losers from this trade. It's better to avoid overpaying and restricting their options for future transactions, but whether the Knicks will look back on this will depend on whether they can sign the next available superstar and how the club progresses after that. Perhaps there was a missed chance to sign an All-Star, exceptional scorer who desired to play for New York. On the other hand, it's possible they escaped harm, and the situation ahead is better. We'll find out.
However, you can bet that the Knicks' failure to sign Mitchell will be a topic of constant discussion in the coming years.
Login To Leave a Comment