The Cleveland Cavaliers’ hope
The good thing for the Cavs is that the Eastern Conference is significantly weaker this year. The Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks futures are unclear, Miami doesn’t have Damian Lillard yet and may not get him at all, and Boston already has health concerns. In a vacuum, the Cavs’ talent on paper is greater than or equal to most of the other contenders in the East.
Evan Mobley and Darius Garland are still very young and haven’t hit their ceiling yet; they should be improved heading into this season. Mitchell might consider extending if the Cavs can put together a successful season. Mitchell also has yet to cause any drama or trade requests in his young career. Ultimately, the Jazz situation was an organizational decision by the front office. Mitchell never technically asked for a trade.
All that said, the pressure is clearly high on the Cavs to produce this year and if they aren’t able to take another step forward this season, the questions surrounding Mitchell’s future are only going to naturally grow. And both the Knicks and Nets could be awaiting with open arms, and plenty of assets in their back pockets.