The New York Knicks, man. They just continue to be the team it’s super easy to make fun of.
We even joined in on the fun here on draft night when it was not very obvious what their strategy was going into things. They came out of all that with a hoard of draft picks.
Draft picks most people expected them to move for one Donovan Mitchell. But, uh, they didn’t. Instead, they signed RJ Barrett to an extension, essentially removing the possibility of him being in any Mitchell trade moving forward. They also hilariously dropped this tweet when the Mitchell news broke.
Coincidence? I think not.
Locked in 🔒 pic.twitter.com/IuzTSovvda
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) September 1, 2022
Regardless, the trade didn’t happen. Mitchell is a Cleveland Cavalier now. The Jazz have a ton of picks from their trade and everyone is happy.
Except for Knicks fans, of course. They now have all these draft picks with nothing to really show for it. Which, on the surface, is pretty funny. Think about it. They did all that work on draft night to get these picks and then did absolutely nothing with them.
People are going to laugh at that. Not just because it’s funny, but also because it’s the Knicks. Jokes were flying across the internet.
LoCkEd In 🔒 https://t.co/0coelxcAqR pic.twitter.com/ofSd21nDxS
— 🇭🇹Here Lies Chuck🇭🇹 (@Chuck__Says) September 1, 2022
The pain continues for the Knicks pic.twitter.com/U6l0MMpAg5 https://t.co/O3oPYWLC1e
— Sam Yeezy (@samstaydipped) September 1, 2022
LMFAOOOOOO https://t.co/SLSZbhJiA2
— $ (@shmunkyyy) September 1, 2022
Wow! Read the room Knicks https://t.co/Q3SfzqTUTh
— 🟧🟧🟫🄼🄰🅃🅃🄸🄴🟫🟧🟧 (@mattpie0011) September 1, 2022
Great timing. 🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/wz1LF2EEzP
— Oz (@OBtoojiveforyou) September 1, 2022
Oh, the Knicks https://t.co/FNRa4WkDx6 pic.twitter.com/nW5va3KfbJ
— Pierre EscarGOAT (@DaEthiopianWolf) September 1, 2022
Perfect timing. https://t.co/UiuksprE15
— Alex Moose-Uh-Bye (@AlexMusibay) September 1, 2022
This came from a place of hurt https://t.co/99L27ITUTB
— Brandon Chicken (@SikuLaFlame) September 1, 2022
thats sad. lmao https://t.co/vN2yAIT3KM pic.twitter.com/sBteD4kpGc
— Point Man (@_iSmokeTheJoke) September 1, 2022
But..the Knicks actually did the right thing here
When you think about it, the Knicks really weren’t in position to trade for Mitchell.
Yes, of course. They had the draft picks — they’ve got that big haul from draft night just waiting to be used. But, at the same time, is Donovan Mitchell the player you want to actually use those picks on?
That’s the question everyone should ask themselves.
The Jazz's price was too high
The Knicks offered two unprotected draft picks for Mitchell, which is already a ton. But the Jazz wanted another, according to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer.
Word was New York's final, best offer for Donovan Mitchell included two unprotected first-round picks. Cleveland's ultimate package features three, plus two pick swaps that are also unprotected, sources said. Utah always made it clear they were hunting for future draft capital.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) September 1, 2022
That, along with players like Immanuel Quickley, Obi Toppin and more, just feels like a lot to give up for a team that didn’t sniff the postseason at all last year.
The trade makes more sense for the Cavaliers
The Cavs are in a position to compete for homecourt and potentially make a deep playoff run with Mitchell in hand.
They have 3 All-Stars and a potential 4th in waiting with Evan Mobley.
Cleveland is suddenly a major force in the East, adding three-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell — with three years left on his contract — to a lineup that includes two All-Stars — Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen — and a future All-Star with Evan Mobley.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 1, 2022
The Cavs’ young core is established already. The Knicks’ is not. That’s the simple truth of it all and that’s why the deal didn’t get done.
Does it look good for the Knicks that it didn’t? Maybe not. It’s true that they could’ve beaten any deal that went the Jazz’s way. But that doesn’t mean they needed to. Especially not when they might have a shot at Mitchell down the line in free agency, anyway.
So let’s just leave the Knicks alone for now. I’m sure they’ll do something else down the line way more worthy of our jokes.
