A majority of New York Knicks fans were in shambles Thursday after three-time NBA All-Star Donovan Mitchell was traded from the Utah Jazz to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
New York initially was and continued to be viewed as the most likely landing spot for the former Utah guard, which had Knicks fans thrilled about the future at Madison Square Garden. That development, however, changed earlier this week as the Knicks instead finalized an extension for guard RJ Barrett, taking away a trade chip and money from their pursuit for Mitchell.
Utah CEO of basketball operations Danny Ainge and the Jazz loudly responded to New York pulling its offer Thursday as they traded Mitchell to the Cavaliers.
Unsurprisingly, it didn’t go over well with some Knicks fans, who then served as a verbal punching bag for many other fanbases around the league.
The Knicks doubled down by officially announcing the extension of Barrett shortly after the initial Donovan trade reports.
It’s worth noting Barrett, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, is a well-deserving player in his own right. But Mitchell, who’s some four years older, has accomplished more individually than Barrett in a competition of stature against potential. It’s why the majority of Knicks fans were hoping the star would arrive via trade.
