It’s not about the players in the package. It’s not about the amount of first-round picks.
According to sources, Jazz president Danny Ainge and Knicks president Leon Rose are at a Donovan Mitchell stalemate over really one thing — the amount of “unprotected” first-round picks in the package.
On draft night in June, Rose collected a handful of protected first-rounders in his wheeling and dealing that cost him his own lottery pick at No. 11. But attaching protected first-rounders in the Utah deal hasn’t stirred Ainge’s soul.
According to a recent proposal, courtesy of Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Knicks offered Obi Toppin, Evan Fournier, cash, two unprotected first-round picks and three protected for a total of five.
The Jazz declined. A source told The Post Ainge is after four unprotected first-round picks — not just two. That’s no small gap.
In fact, Ainge doesn’t have many strong preferences on the players coming back, though shooting guard Quentin Grimes certainly is high on his list.
The Knicks, too, aren’t concerned with the exact player package — just the amount of first-round picks they give up. The Post reported Saturday the Knicks’ belief is a Jalen Brunson-Mitchell backcourt can be the elixir to a 10-game jump in the standings from 37 wins to 47 wins.
However, if they give up the entire farm of first-rounders, they will be hard-pressed to make another significant trade to make them a championship contender. They believe having Brunson and Mitchell would spur another star to join them.
The Knicks have four future first-round picks that, for the most part, are lottery protected.
That the Knicks reportedly are willing to give up 2020 lottery pick Toppin is a sign of their belief Julius Randle can return closer to 2020-21 form when he was second-team All-NBA. They are hopeful Randle will be in a better space mentally than he was in 2021-22.
Knicks brass is worried about finding the right roster equilibrium with Randle/Toppin as power forwards who don’t play another position. Toppin is a lot easier to trade as he’s on his rookie contract. A Randle-Toppin small-ball frontcourt is considered unappealing to the organization.
While Grimes is a favorite of Tom Thibodeau, the 2020-21 NBA Coach of the Year is happy to place RJ Barrett alongside Brunson and Mitchell. That diminutive backcourt could use Barrett’s size at the 3.
The issue with Barrett is the potential for him demanding a maximum contract extension of five years, $185 million that may not be tradeable in the future if Barrett doesn’t grow into a winning player and All-Star.
However, the mix of players doesn’t seem to be the top concern for Utah or the Knicks.