The New York Knicks have a Plan A and a Plan B heading into the offseason.
Over the past year New York has been closely linked to Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell. It is the NBA’s worst-kept secret that the front office covets him and would love to make something happen on that front.
Unfortunately for the Knicks, Mitchell has three years left on his contract before he gets to his 2025-26 player option. He has zero leverage to demand a trade. That means the Knicks would need to put together a really enticing package, and it’s hard to see how they’d manage that.
Fortunately, Mitchell isn’t the only point guard on the wish list.
According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, there’s also a "Plan B" alternative.
“As the Knicks work down the list of their point guard options, rival executives have pointed to Minnesota Timberwolves starter D’Angelo Russell as a potential lower-level trade target,” he wrote. “New York’s front office recently added former Minnesota president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, who once chased Russell in free agency and later traded Andrew Wiggins to Golden State for the creative point guard.”
This is a trade that could make sense for all sides. Russell was brought in because of his close ties to Karl-Anthony Towns. However, between his injury woes and the emergence of Anthony Edwards, he has slid down the importance hierarchy over the past year.
If Minnesota sees dealing him as a way of making the leap to the next level, nobody will hesitate to pull the trigger.
The Knicks getting Mitchell is increasingly looking like something that simply won’t happen. Russell isn’t a bad consolation prize.
More must-reads: