Donovan Mitchell was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers this summer, and there’s no doubt that this was a big move for both him and the franchise. He is now on a top-tier Eastern Conference team with championship aspirations.
When he found out about himself getting traded to the Cavaliers, Donovan Mitchell was reportedly excited to play with Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and Darius Garland. He even “went screaming around the golf course” due to his excitement.
“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.”
It is clear that Donovan Mitchell is excited to be a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, there are many people who have speculated that he’d rather be on another franchise rather than in Cleveland.
Evan Cohen Thinks Donovan Mitchell Would Rather Have Been On The Cavaliers
At the beginning of the summer, many people thought that Donovan Mitchell would prefer to land on the New York Knicks. After all, they are his hometown team, and he would get to be closer to family.
However, NBA analyst Evan Cohen has suggested that Donovan Mitchell in fact wanted to be traded to the Cavaliers, rather than the Knicks speaking strictly from a basketball perspective.
Did Donovan Mitchell really want to be traded to the #Knicks like everyone thinks? @EvCoRadio doesn’t think so #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/auiiYcIkdI
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) September 15, 2022
At no point did he say he didn’t want to play for the Knicks. Because he didn’t want to be in bad standing with his hometown fans… But at no point, did he ever say “I want to be with the Knicks”. He said nothing… From a basketball perspective, I think Donovan Mitchell is on the team he’d rather be on in comparison to the New York Knicks.
Obviously, the Cleveland Cavaliers were a better team than the New York Knicks prior to the Donovan Mitchell trade, as they had two All-Star level players in Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland. It makes sense for Donovan Mitchell to be more interested in joining up with them from a basketball perspective.
It’s not as if moving to the New York Knicks did not have its appeal for Donovan Mitchell. However, it seems as though he’s embracing his new franchise, and Mitchell seems excited to compete next season.
