The Oklahoma City Thunder are off to a great start this season, sitting second in the West with a 13-7 record so far this season. There are flaws in the team, albeit minor, but it’s fair to say they aren’t bonafide title contenders just yet. They’re on their way to being contenders but might just be a piece or two away. The Thunder have the league’s best collection of young assets and draft picks, so eventually they can start to be used for major trades.Â
Donovan Mitchell has been great for the Cleveland Cavaliers since being traded to the team last season, but a first-round exit with home-court advantage wasn’t ideal for Mitchell and the Cavs. There are rumors of Mitchell wanting to move on from Cleveland with two years left on his contract, so the Cavaliers may want to avoid that possible disturbance by realigning the team to the timeline of Evan Mobley and Darius Garland while reinforcing the assets they lost in the initial Mitchell deal.Â
The Thunder could be the perfect trade partner for them.
Trade DetailsÂ
Cleveland Cavaliers Receive: Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, Davis Bertans, 2024 First-Round Pick (LAC), 2026 First-Round Pick (OKC), 2028 First-Round Pick (OKC)
Oklahoma City Thunder Receive: Donovan Mitchell, Dean Wade
This allows the Cavaliers to not only recoup some of the draft assets they lost for Mitchell but also add two very talented players that can help them continue their projected path of being a winning franchise, while the Thunder level up to contention status.
The Cavaliers Replenish Assets To Continue Their Upward Trajectory
The Cavaliers burst onto the scene two seasons ago as a play-in team and secured a top-four seed in their first season with Mitchell. But the young core needs a little more experience before they can compete for a title. Evan Mobley and Darius Garland are homegrown franchise cornerstones who are both 25 and under. By moving Mitchell now, they add two pieces that can help them level up in the East while entrusting their young star duo with more responsibility.
Josh Giddey is dealing with some troubling allegations, but they look unlikely to stop his promising NBA career. He’s averaging 11.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in what’s been a down year for the 21-year-old so far, but he projects to be one of the best combo guards in the NBA. He adds size next to Garland in the backcourt and can take on a bigger playmaking load to unlock Garland’s offense and use Jarrett Allen’s verticality for better lob opportunities.Â
Lu Dort is among the strongest perimeter defenders in the NBA and would be the ideal solution for the Cavaliers’ wing problems. He’s averaging 10.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists and could be the piece the Thunder find hardest to part with. But with the added Davis Bertans salary dump and three first-round picks, this could be a fair price for an All-NBA guard in his prime like Mitchell.
The Thunder Storm Towards Championship Contention
The Thunder have multiple avenues to contention available to them. They could continue to let their players develop and eventually have a homegrown title core, but if that takes too long, the Thunder may start struggling to pay all their players. Instead, consolidating the bright future they’ve accumulated with their assets over the years by moving them for Mitchell in a trade could extend their championship window, beginning this season.
Mitchell’s incredible offensive consistency over his career gets forgotten about because he has been playing in small markets that haven’t been contenders. But he led the Jazz to the No. 1 seed a few seasons ago and has never missed the playoffs in his career. He’s averaging 27.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.3 assists this season, continuing to prove his worth as one of the star guards in the NBA. Even with his limited size, Mitchell is a positive defensive player.
Mitchell and Shai would be the scariest backcourt in the NBA, even ahead of the Mavericks duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. They both have strong defensive intensity while offensive polish, with Mitchell also adding further floor-spacing to give Shai a more open court to operate in. Mitchell’s comfortable playing with highly skilled big men could also enhance the way Chet Holmgren plays.
A Deal To Refocus Championship Timelines
The Cavaliers aren’t far enough in their rebuild to make a contender in two years, by which time Mitchell could be on his way out. Mitchell is young enough to fit into the Cavaliers’ core and reap long-term rewards, but being in a similarly young situation in OKC with a clearer championship window could be preferable to him. The Cavs also wouldn’t want to risk having to trade Mitchell under the gun when he’s disgruntled and has less contract security, as it would mean they gave up almost their entire draft chest for nothing.
Replenishing some of those lost picks while adding highly valuable players like Dort and Giddey should be a slam dunk. The Thunder would massively upgrade over Giddey with Mitchell but would feel the loss of Dort on the wing without many capable contenders in line to take that spot. But the wonderful thing about the Thunder’s draft chest is that it still leaves them with more than enough room to make further trades to bolster the rest of their roster.
Both teams are on a path of contention and could reach there without making any changes. But the NBA rarely sees continuity last without expectations weighing teams down or players having different agendas. This trade would help both teams progress while also keeping themselves strong to make future moves.Â
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