NBA Trades: Donovan Mitchell traded to Cleveland Cavs, not New York Knicks
NBA Trades: The Cleveland Cavaliers make a big splash by acquiring Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz, beating out the New York Knicks.
In the end, it wasn’t the New York Knicks will the best package for Donovan Mitchell. Instead, it was the Cleveland Cavaliers that made the big splash.
After weeks of anticipation that Mitchell was going to be traded to New York, the Cavs emerged with a strong offer that Utah simply couldn’t refuse. Mitchell was traded to the Cavs in exchange for Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji, Collin Sexton (via sign-and-trade), three unprotected first-round picks, and two pick swaps.
The Cleveland Cavaliers beat out the New York Knicks in the race for Donovan Mitchell
This is certainly an interesting development, especially considering that it was just a few days ago that it was reported that the Cavs were no longer interested in Mitchell. Something changed recently.
Perhaps there was a breakdown in talks between the Knicks and Jazz? And maybe it had to do with the RJ Barrett contract extension? Either way, there’s much to be explained all around. And it’ll be interesting to see how this all came together.
Nevertheless, the facts are that Mitchell is heading to Cleveland and he’ll join a loaded roster. The Cavs will now trot out a lineup that includes Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Mitchell, and Jarrett Allen. And they’ll still have some great depth off the bench.
With this acquisition, it’ll be interesting to see how high the Cavs will rise this upcoming season. For the first half of last season, the Cavs were one of the biggest surprises in the Eastern Conference. Adding Mitchell will only add to their hype heading into 2022-23.
There’s a lot to unravel with this deal for Mitchel. But there’s no question that the Cavs just got better. And, possibly, a lot better.
dark. Next. 30 in 30: Can the Charlotte Hornets begin to break a vicious cycle?
The Jazz also did well with their return. They got the three unprotected first-round picks that they wanted and two really good young players in Sexton and Agbaji.