A day after the Jazz said they’re willing to listen to trade offers for Donovan Mitchell, the three-time NBA All-Star may have just given a hint about his future destination.
Ben Ritholtz, who is contributor to sites Knicks Film School and The Strickland, tweeted that Mitchell was seated in front of his cousin on a flight back from Las Vegas (later correcting it to the Bahamas) and that he asked Mitchell if he was coming to New York. Mitchell, who posed for a photo, was wearing what appears to be a Liberty hoodie with the words “New York” emblazoned on it, and reportedly responded, “We’ll see.” Mitchell also tweeted about being on a flight.
Welcome to NBA trade rumor season, which, as usual, has kept Twitter busy during the offseason.
Of course, whether Mitchell ends up on the Knicks remains to be seen. But there are strong connections between the 25-year-old superstar, and a deal with New York remains a possibility.
Mitchell is from Elmsford, N.Y., the Knicks have long been intrigued by him and the team could put together an appealing trade package, according to The Athletic. Doing so would give the Knicks an impressive back court that already includes the newly-acquired Jalen Brunson.
Mitchell, drafted 13th overall in 2017 by the Nuggets and immediately traded to the Jazz, has averaged 23.9 points, 4.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds in his five years in the league. Utah also recently traded its All-Star center Rudy Gobert to the Timberwolves for four future first-round picks and a handful of players, signaling a possible rebuild.
Mitchell, meanwhile, is also very active on Twitter and isn’t shy about showing up at Mets games to show support.
The Knicks have young players to offer in any possible trade for Mitchell, including R.J. Barrett. They also have seven first-round picks in the next three years. For now, though, as Mitchell said, “We’ll see.”