December 3, 2023

CLEVELAND — Except he indicators an extension with the Cavaliers — or till he’s traded elsewhere — Donovan Mitchell will probably be linked to the Knicks as a commerce goal.

It’s the character of the circumstances.

He’s a local New Yorker who was chased by the Knicks final 12 months in failed commerce negotiations and, as sources acknowledged, stays on crew president Leon Rose’s radar.

Josh Hart, who’s near Mitchell, understands.

“These are by no means going to go away,” Hart mentioned. “He’s from New York. New York isn’t going to let that go away. So that you’ll by no means know what occurs. That’s for the long run, that’s for Knicks Twitter to speak about, and have rumors about, and put up stats of God is aware of what. However everybody is aware of that will probably be an underlying factor.”

Nonetheless, Hart believes the connection is typically overhyped or misunderstood.


Donovan Mitchell has been pegged as a possible commerce goal for the Knicks.
AP

Like, as an illustration, any insinuations drawn from Mitchell throwing out the primary pitch of a Mets recreation.

“Properly yeah, his dad works for the Mets,” Hart mentioned. “That’s the factor — folks like to make their very own narrative. Folks don’t know the behind-the-scenes issues, stuff. Throw out the primary pitch on the Mets recreation and folks say, ‘He loves New York, needs to go to New York.’ Don’t know that his dad works for the Mets for 20 years or he’s from New York. You at all times have so many underlying issues the place folks do not know, they see only one photograph and see one thing and simply run with it.”

After all, Mitchell may’ve ended the dialogue by signing an extension with the Cavaliers in the summertime.

As a substitute, the 27-year-old Elmsford native declined, saved his choices open, and might turn into a free agent in 2026.


Josh Hart said trade speculation involving Donovan Mitchell and the Knicks is something that's
Josh Hart mentioned commerce hypothesis involving Donovan Mitchell and the Knicks is one thing that’s “by no means going to go away.”
Getty Pictures

He may signal an extension with the Cavaliers subsequent summer time.

RJ Barrett, who was dangled in commerce negotiations for Mitchell final 12 months, wasn’t within the dialogue.

“It don’t received nothing to do with me,” he mentioned.


It’s nonetheless the primary week of the season and the Knicks are making ready for his or her second back-to-back with journey in between video games.

“Guess we made any individual mad,” Hart mentioned. “It’s what it’s. We received the schedule we received.”

The crew didn’t deal with the primary set properly, succumbing simply in Saturday’s 96-87 defeat in New Orleans — which adopted a victory the night time prior in Atlanta. For this set, there’s at the very least equal footing with the opponent.

The Knicks and Cavaliers play one another Tuesday in Cleveland, then Wednesday on the Backyard.

“We received to make the most effective of it,” coach Tom Thibodeau mentioned. “The great half is you’re taking part in the identical crew. You take a look at it that means. So no matter positives to take out of it, that’s what you do.”

Nonetheless, the Knicks are comparatively wholesome and don’t relaxation gamers.

Barrett’s knee — which he tweaked within the opener in opposition to Boston — has been a small situation.

“Day-to-day, no matter,” he mentioned. “However I believe one thing that at this level form of everyone within the league goes by means of the identical factor. Again-to-backs, all of the taking part in and stuff. Simply received to be mentally robust by means of it.”


Jarrett Allen (bruised ankle) and Darius Garland (hamstring pressure) have been dominated out of Tuesday’s recreation, in line with the harm report.

Allen has but to play this season and Garland missed the previous two video games.

Mitchell (hamstring pressure) participated in Monday’s follow and is listed as questionable.

Supply Hyperlink : https://jatim.uk/