Jan 6, 2021; New York, New York, USA; Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Jazz executives reportedly displeased with Knicks’ apparent Donovan Mitchell scouting
Uh oh, we’re sensing some tension in Utah. Not only could Donovan Mitchell’s future with the franchise be up in the air, but reportedly, there are people within the Jazz’s front office who weren’t pleased with the New York Knicks’ presence at Game 1 of the Dallas-Utah first-round playoff series.
Julius Randle, William Wesley, and Allan Houston were sitting courtside at American Airlines Center to either watch Mitchell or Jalen Brunson. The New York trio didn’t make it known what their intentions were in Dallas, but it’s been rumored that if the Jazz are a first-round exit, Mitchell could force his way out of Utah.
Meanwhile, Brunson is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and although his price tag has increased, he could be why the Knicks were at the game.
Nonetheless, Jazz executives appear to be worried about Mitchell’s future. The 25-year-old is a native of New York, so if there’s a desire for him to leave Utah, he could be making his way to Madison Square Garden.
Do the Jazz have a right to be worried about the Knicks pursuing Donovan Mitchell?
Mitchell signed a five-year max extension with the Jazz in November of 2020, which means that he still has three years left on his contract. That includes a $37 million player option in 2025-26.
If he’s the reason why the Knicks were in attendance, he won’t come at a cheap price. New York likely isn’t the only team that could be interested in pursuing Mitchell, but that didn’t prevent members of Utah’s organization from being taken aback by Wesley’s presence specifically, per SNY’s Ian Begley.
According to NBC Sports, if the playoffs don’t go as hoped for the Jazz, the organization could be open to a Rudy Gobert trade with the expectation of building around Mitchell. That’s all well and good, but the guard would have to be on board with that.
With the rest of his career in front of him, why would Mitchell want to hang around and wait for Utah to figure things out? The Knicks haven’t enjoyed a multitude of success in recent years, but they have the potential to have a better future than the Jazz.
Mitchell’s said that he’ll base decisions about his future around his family and his father is an executive for the New York Mets. If he were to return to New York, he could go “back home” and be closer to his family.
Utah’s insecurity over Randle, Wesley, and Houston being at the game seems to mean that the organization senses that something big could be on the horizon. Of course, that something is Mitchell suiting up for the Knicks at MSG in time for the 2022-23 season. The Jazz need to start to prepare themselves now.
