Grade the Trade: Knicks finally get Mitchell in new Cavaliers pitch

In the summer of 2022, it seemed fait accompli that the New York Knicks were going to trade for Donovan Mitchell. The Utah Jazz had already moved Rudy Gobert and Royce O’Neale, and the Knicks had a large chest of assets, so the connection made sense and seemed merely a question of when, not if.

Then the Cleveland Cavaliers leaped in and stole Mitchell away from the Knicks, offering a package large enough to entice the Jazz to pull the trigger. The result was a 51-win season and plenty of good feelings around Mitchell and the Cavs.

Then the playoffs happened, and those very same Knicks battered the Cavaliers right out of the postseason in five games. Now Mitchell is two years away from hitting free agency, and some of the discourse is that he is unlikely to sign a contract extension to stay in Cleveland.

Would the Cavaliers trade Donovan Mitchell?

If the pressure of a failed playoff run and the possibility of Mitchell walking for nothing prompts the Cavs to make a trade now, as some analysts have suggested, could the Knicks still be in the market for the dynamic shooting guard? If so, what would an offer look like?

Let’s lay out a potential trade offer and see whether it makes sense for both sides.