The New York Knicks find themselves as the betting favorites to land Utah Jazz All-Star and New York native Donovan Mitchell.
While Kevin Durant’s trade request in late June hijacked many of the NBA offseason headlines, the availability of another All-Star, Donovan Mitchell, led to flurry of sportsbook activity that set the New York Knicks as favorites to land the Utah Jazz guard.
New York already made a big splash in NBA free agency when the team inked Jalen Brunson, the son of former Knicks guard and current Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson. New York signed the free agent point guard to a four-year, $104 million deal, the biggest contract for a player that switched teams this offseason.
Following Utah’s trade of Rudy Gobert earlier this offseason, teams expected Mitchell to become available in the trade market as well despite the Jazz’s initial position that they hoped to retool around their All-Star guard. However, DraftKings and other sportsbooks quickly made New York favored in the odds for Mitchell’s next team once reports came out that Utah was listening to offers for their star.
The NBA betting market offers fans plenty of opportunities to wager on futures and, once the season begins, live. Here’s a look at the odds for Donovan Mitchell’s next team at DraftKings.
New York Favored to be Mitchell’s Next Team
| Team | DraftKings Odds |
| New York Knicks | -200 |
| Miami Heat | +400 |
| Utah Jazz | +550 |
| Brooklyn Nets | +1000 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | +1800 |
New York finds itself favored to be Mitchell’s next team in mid-July because they could put together the most compelling trade package for the Jazz. With emerging young players on cheap contracts and a number of draft picks, the Knicks stand as the most likely team to pry Mitchell from Utah, but talks could drag on through the summer.
Beyond that, the Miami Heat find themselves in the fray as well. Heat president and former New York head coach Pat Riley remains in the mix for Kevin Durant, but the team reportedly has interest in Mitchell as well. Miami has interesting young players like Tyler Herro to offer in a trade, but can’t send out as many draft picks as the Knicks.
Utah sits with +550 odds at DraftKings and they could hold on to their 25-year-old star if they don’t like the trade compensation. Mitchell remains under contract through the 2025-26 season.
Another New York team, the Brooklyn Nets, hold longer odds (+1000), but could find themselves landing Mitchell as part of a larger, presumably multi-team trade, that also sees Kevin Durant moved.
Mitchell’s Path to New York
Mitchell was born in Elmsford, New York, and played AAU basketball for both The City and the Riverside Hawks programs out of New York City. His father, Donovan Mitchell Sr., played minor league baseball and remains employed in the New York Mets front office.
New York remains favored to land Mitchell thanks to his ties to the area and the fact that the Knicks are flush with draft capital. New York holds eight tradable first-round picks, something the Jazz reportedly find more appealing than win-now players.
“I think this increases the likelihood that this is going to be a New York Knicks situation,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said last Friday on air. “The Knicks are very interested, they are talking to the Jazz, but the Jazz have an extremely high bar that they’re setting early in these talks and it’s really just a question of how much can they get the Knicks to pay.”
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst
The Knicks had a chance to select Mitchell in the 2017 NBA Draft, but Phil Jackson selected Frank Ntilikina with the No. 8 pick instead, and Mitchell fell to Utah at No. 13. Mitchell has since averaged 23.9 points, 4.5 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game during his NBA career, earning three All-Star berths. He’s the first guard to average more than 20 points per game in each of his first five seasons since Allen Iverson did so with the Philadelphia 76ers between 1996 and 2001. Ntilikina, meanwhile, averaged 5.5 points, 2.7 assists, and 2.0 rebounds per game over four seasons with the Knicks before leaving in free agency following the 2020-21 season
