Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Knicks missed out on another big star this summer, blowing the chance to land Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz. In the end, the Cleveland Cavaliers landed the talented shooting guard in a shocking move, leaving New York fans mad, and the rest of the league excited for the young Cavaliers superteam.
Danny Ainge decided to end the Rudy Gobert-Donovan Mitchell era in Utah this offseason, first dealing the Frenchman and then the shooting guard. Now he still has a couple of veterans on the roster, who could leave the squad soon.
Still, the biggest topic around the league this week was the fact that the Cavaliers snatched Mitchell away from New York, and some think that Ainge did that on purpose to mess with the Knicks.
NBA Executive Says Danny Ainge Wanted To Rob The Knicks
This move was very surprising, and some within the league thought this was Ainge’s plan all along. Some executives claim that the former player-turned-executive wanted to keep his star player away from the Big Apple. In a report by Marc Berman of the New York Post, a couple of executives explained what they think Ainge tried to do to the Knicks.
“There is a sentiment around the league that all things being equal, Ainge preferred to keep Mitchell off Broadway. Mitchell wanted his hometown Knicks and the chances of him turning into a bigger star loomed large in the media capital. (Mitchell sounded excited on social media to join Garland in the backcourt).
“New York, he wanted to rob them,” another NBA executive said. “He knew how much they wanted him.”
In the end, the Knicks were left hanging by the Jazz when many people thought this race was for them to lose. The Cavaliers were reportedly out of the race, but they made a surprising comeback and landed one of the most electrifying players in the league right now.
Mitchell has made the Cavs a threat in the Eastern Conference alongside Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. This team looks incredibly dangerous for next season and the foreseeable future. Mitchell is reportedly ecstatic to join the Cavs and the franchise knows this move will bring a lot of benefits to them.
Ainge has turned Gobert and Mitchell into a great return and he’s not stopping anytime soon. The Knicks, on the other hand, will try to get another disgruntled star in the future.
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