Insider: Main Reason That Donovan Mitchell To Knicks Might Not Happen

 It's long been known that the New York Knicks and hometown kid Donovan Mitchell have had mutual admiration. When things were set to inevitably implode in Utah two years ago, the rumors were rampant that Mitchell would somehow make his way to Madison Square Garden. 

But now that he's in Cleveland, with still another year to run on his contract after this one, could it be that the Knicks have moved on, and both sides know it? 

According to NBA Insider Brian Windhorst of ESPN, it all comes down to Jalen Brunson now being the King of New York, and there just might not be room for Mitchell anymore.

"I don't know if the Donovan Mitchell Knicks thing is really still a possibility... He's got to be looking at what Jalen Brunson has and feeling like, 'Damn. Like that could have been me.'"

- Brian Windhorstpic.twitter.com/zYeum8PDDT

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 28, 2024

"I gotta imagine, as a kid from New York, who wanted to play for the Knicks, that's where he wanted to get traded (in 2022)... He wanted to be a Knick," says Windhorst.

"(But) I don't know if the Donovan Mitchell Knicks thing is really still a possibility... He's got to be looking at what Jalen Brunson has and feeling like, 'Damn. Like that could have been me.'...

"Jalen Brunson's name echoing on the streets of New York, Jalen Brunson becoming a hero at The Garden. I don't even know if they fit, I don't know if Donovan Mitchell can even come onto this team... I don't think it makes sense."

The Knicks have indeed become Brunson's team. He was named to his first All-Star game this season, and has boosted his scoring to a remarkable 27.7 points per game along with 6.7 assists and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 40% from the three-point line.

The Knicks are 4th in the Eastern Conference at 35-24. 

Mitchell's Cavaliers, meanwhile, are sitting 2nd in the East, four games better than NY, at 38-19. His numbers are just as impressive as Brunson's, at 28.2 points per game, 6.2 assists and 5.4 rebounds with a 37% mark from long range. 

Photo: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports