It is no secret that the New York Knicks had an interest in Donovan Mitchell before he landed with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
What prevented this partnership from happening?
Turned out, the Knicks were not sold about the idea of Mitchell becoming their franchise player. They thought he was not of that caliber and so, they backed out.
Knicks general manager Scott Perry revealed what went down during their pursuit of Spida. He suggested that Mitchell cannot carry a team on his own.
"He was a good player but he needed more around him to win," he said during an appearance on Hoop Genius podcast.
"Because if he was that singular force, Utah probably would've been in the conference finals if he were that singular force. But he wasn't that singular force. That's not a criticism against him. That's just an evaluation that you must make."
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Knicks settled with homegrown Jalen Brunson by signing him to a four-year, $104 million contract from the Dallas Mavericks.
Brunson's first year in Madison Square and instantly became valuable to the team's post-season run.
Was it the right call?
Mitchell eventually signed with the Cavs and became its instant leaders. He finished his maiden season in Cleveland as the team's top scorer.
They finished fourth in the Eastern Conference table and poetically met the fifth-seed Knicks.
The New York-based team proved they did not need him during that season as they ended Cavs' promising campaign in five games.
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