Boston Celtics: Knicks with Donovan Mitchell not seen as threat to Cs

In the Atlantic Division, the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, and of course, the Brooklyn Nets, are no longer the team to watch when it comes to a potential blockbuster imminently going down now that the Kevin Durant drama has been put to rest.

Now, that distinction goes to the New York Knicks, who are thick in the sweepstakes for Donovan Mitchell. With the Utah Jazz beginning a teardown that started with the Rudy Gobert trade to the Minnesota Timberwolves, moving Mitchell definitely profiles as the most sensible next move. Stars like Mitchell don’t waste their days on a non-contender as Carmelo Anthony did for so many years in the ‘Big Apple.’

With that said, even if the Knicks were to land Utah’s 3x NBA All-Star guard, there’s no guarantee that New York’s fortune would change. After the team made the franchise made the postseason for the first time in eight years back in 2021, NY couldn’t help but tie themselves up in albatross deals for Julius Randle and Evan Fournier. There’s no guarantee the Knicks’ brain trust would provide Mitchell with the necessary resources to get any further in the postseason than he has in Utah.

MassLive’s Souichi Terada believes that New York would be in trouble defensively with a backcourt of Mitchell and Jalen Brunson and that his presence in NYC ultimately moves the needle very little:

"“If (Donovan Mitchell) does get traded to the Knicks, his pairing with Jalen Brunson makes for a subpar defensive backcourt. New York isn’t a contender, so Mitchell landing there doesn’t swing the needle too much.”"

These teams would be a threat to the Boston Celtics with Donovan Mitchell

New York doesn’t yet have the foundation to get over the hump with a piece like Donovan Mitchell, but there are other teams in the Eastern Conference, and more specifically the Atlantic Division, that would.

The Brooklyn Nets, for example, would be overwhelming offensively with a Mitchell-Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving trio. Less so, but ditto for the Southeast Division’s Miami Heat with a Mitchell-Kyle Lowry-Jimmy Butler trio since Bam Adebayo would have to be included in any deal due to his designated rookie status.

Boston Celtics fans ought to hope Mitchell ends up playing his home games at Madison Square Garden because that would likely be the least dangerous threat of any potential landing spots for the 25-year-old star.