During the 2022 offseason, many analysts thought the New York Knicks, in search of a star, would go all out for Donovan Mitchell, whose availability on the trade market was no secret after the Utah Jazz’s playoff disappointment. Ultimately, the Knicks traded too much and the Cleveland Cavaliers stepped in, pairing Spida with Darius Garland en route to the Cavs’ first playoff berth in their second post-LeBron James era.
According to former Knicks executive Scott Perry, the team didn’t see Donovan Mitchell as the “singular driving force” worth giving their all to pursue on the trade market, noting the exorbitant price the Jazz placed on Spida’s services.
“He was a good player but he needed more people around him to win. Because if he had been that singular force, Utah probably would have been in the conference finals if he had been that singular force. But it wasn’t such a singular force. This is not a criticism against him. That’s just an assessment you have to make,” Perry on a recent episode of The Hoop Genius podcast, via RealGM.