Knicks' Evan Fournier, RJ Barrett ready to be tested by Cavs' Donovan Mitchell
Cleveland Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell smiles at teammates during the overtime period of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics, Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, in Boston. Credit: AP/Winslow Townson
CLEVELAND — Donovan Mitchell has spoken repeatedly of the rumors, whispers that grew loud enough that he was certain he would be heading home to New York during the summer.
With Mitchell shopped openly by the Utah Jazz, it seemed a fait accompli that the Westchester native would join the Knicks, who were the most ardent and sometimes only suitor. But as the Knicks bickered over draft picks with the Jazz and just how greedy they would allow Jazz president Danny Ainge to be, the rug was pulled out from under the Knicks and Mitchell. The Cavaliers stepped in and made the deal, and suddenly the lifetime Mets fan was posting images of himself in Cleveland Guardians gear.
That might pass with only front-office regrets if the names the Knicks floated in the deal had not been not so publicly exposed. RJ Barrett was a main piece, and he wasn’t signed to a contract extension with the Knicks until all of the trade options failed. While Barrett has struggled offensively to start the season, Mitchell is averaging 31 points per game for the 4-1 Cavs, including 41 in the overtime win in Boston on Friday.
Barrett shrugged off any notion that there is extra meaning in proving himself against Mitchell after the trade talks.
“Who cares? I’m here,” Barrett said Friday. “I’m here. He’s there. We just have to go in there and try to get a win.”
Evan Fournier was in the talks, too, although he dismissed it even more easily than Barrett did. He was competing with France in the Olympics over the summer and ignored the trade rumors.
“There’s a lot of trade rumors about everyone,” Fournier said. “You don’t even know if it’s true or not. It doesn’t really matter. We’re just here to win the game and go home with a win and that’s it. I don’t know about the other guys, but I don’t care.”
Fournier was part of the French squad that beat Mitchell and the United States in the 2019 World Cup. Mitchell had 29 points but was held scoreless in the fourth quarter. Fournier told reporters, “They [Team USA] are better individually but they can be beaten as a team,” which might sound similar to the way the Knicks are approaching Mitchell and the Cavaliers.
“He’s obviously very athletic,” Fournier said. “And the one thing he does extremely well is he stops on a dime. When he drives hard to the basket and he stops, with the speed and agility he has, he always creates separation. He’s really hard to guard. He’s very streaky. He can be not efficient at times. But when he gets it going, it feels like he can’t miss.
“So it’s going to be a challenge, obviously. But I think the Cavs have a lot of different pieces. I think [Caris] LeVert had 41 as well [Friday night]. They have length. It’s a good team we’re going to be playing against and we’re going to have to be very organized to beat them.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
