Donovan Mitchell is a part of the Cleveland Cavaliers. This isn’t a trade anyone saw coming, as it was taken for granted that the New York Knicks would eventually be the one to get Donovan Mitchell out of the Utah Jazz and into their contending team. That isn’t the case as Cleveland swooped in with an offer of Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji, and 5 picks (3 unprotected, 2 pick-swaps).
What’s remarkable is that the Cavs managed to hold on to most of their core young players, and they can just add Mitchell to that group now. The team was moving past using Collin Sexton, so he was an expendable asset. Markkanen is replaceable, and Agbaji is a very young prospect. Mitchell and the Cavs will be on the path to instant contention with their team.
Donovan Mitchell is also aware of the strength of the new team he is joining. According to Brian Windhorst, Mitchell was on a golf course when the news broke and ran around the course in joy when he found out that the Cavaliers core is intact.
Windy just said on 850 that when Mitchell found out he was traded to Cle and Mobley, Allen, Garland and Love wernt in the deal he went running and screaming around the golf course he was playing. Dudes pumped
— Will Burge (@WillBurge) September 1, 2022
“It’s a great fit for Donovan Mitchell,” Windhorst said. “And I’m gonna tell you, I can’t tell you how I know, but I’m aware of when he found out. And I’m aware of when he actually found out about what was in the trade. And when he found out — he was on a golf course — and when he found out that Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and Darius Garland were not in the trade, and neither was Kevin Love, he went screaming around the golf course, he was so excited. He’s extremely excited in this moment. I’m sure he would love to have been a [New York] Knick, that’s his hometown. But he’s extremely excited in the moment.” (h/t Cavaliers Nation)
The Cavs missed the 2022 Playoffs after losing in the play-in, but Mitchell can feasibly make them push for a top-4 seed. We have seen the Utah Jazz with Mitchell and Gobert be the #1 seed in the NBA, so this Cavs team could really be a very dangerous squad in the East.
With the ages of the players, everyone knows there is a ton of room for this core to grow together. This is a terrific situation for Donovan to end up in, and hopefully, he can push the Cavaliers towards their first playoff berth in this century without LeBron James on the squad.
