Current Orlando Magic rep Joe Ingles believes that the New York Knicks are still capable of conjuring his former teammate Donovan Mitchell.
The idea of Mitchell donning a Knicks jersey has lost momentum thanks to the pace of his current employers, as the Cleveland Cavaliers are engaged in a battle for the second seed in the Eastern Conference after a slow start. But, upon visiting Madison Square Garden as an opponent on Friday, Ingles wouldn't stop writing metropolitan fanfiction.
“I think when there was talk about him coming to New York, the team wasn’t doing that great. I think the way the team is now, I think he’s pretty happy with the way the things are going in Cleveland,” Ingles noted, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “But it still wouldn’t surprise me. … He’s a New York kid. If I could play in Melbourne and make the same amount of money, like, why wouldn’t you think about it?”
Ingles, 36 has created a solid NBA living since arriving from Australia. Most of his career has been spent with the Utah Jazz, where he played five seasons with Mitchell. Both moved on after the 2021-22 season when Utah embarked on an organization purge.
Even after the Cavs proved more willing to pay Utah management's hefty price for Mitchell's services, hardwood fantasies have continued to ship him with the Knicks. Mitchell is an Empire State native (Elmsford) and a client of Creative Artists Agency, the former domain of Knicks president Leon Rose. The fact that Mitchell, a free agent in 2025, and the Cavs failed to agree to a long-term extension over this past summer has only offered further fuel to the Mitchell fire.
Ingles noted that rumors of a Knicks trade were a constant threat in Salt Lake City "all the time."
“For me, it would be cool,” Ingles told Bondy. “Anybody who gets to play at home, it would be a pretty special thing for him. If he does, great. If he doesn’t, it’s not going to change my life one bit.”
This is far from the first time that Ingles has commented on Mitchell's post-Utah situation: Ingles previously professed his belief that Mitchell would come to New York "sooner or later" during a November appearance on KSL Sports.
Ingles played 17 minutes in Friday night's showdown in Manhattan, picking up two steals in a 98-74 loss to the Knicks.
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