The Cavaliers Have Traded Donovan Mitchell To The Jazz In Exchange For Three Unprotected First Picks
The Utah Jazz, after five seasons and just as many playoff berths, have decided to do what used to be unthinkable: trade Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
It has been reported by Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports that Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, and Ochai Agbaji will also be heading to the Jazz in this deal.
In addition to trading Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers and trading Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Jazz now has 13 protected or “lightly protected” draft picks through 2029, according to Wojnarowski.
The Cavaliers Have Traded Donovan Mitchell To The Jazz In Exchange For Three Unprotected First Picks
It’s hard to believe that Mitchell, who is only 25 years old, is no longer living in Utah. Following an epic rookie season in 2017-18, in which he averaged 20.5 points per game while dishing out 3.7 assists per game, he quickly rose to become the face of the franchise.
In his time with the Jazz, he averaged 23.9 points, 4.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from three-point range. In addition to being a three-time All-Star, he is also one of the most dangerous perimeter scorers in the NBA.
Although the duo of Mitchell and Gobert led Utah to five straight postseason appearances, they never managed to advance the Jazz past the second round, which included a disappointing 4-2 series loss against the Dallas Mavericks in the first round this year—a series that was made even more troubling because Luka Doncic was injured for half the match.
This was the final straw for that duo, and it was the end of their relationship. As a result, Mitchell had previously been troubled by Gobert’s cavalier attitude toward the C-19 pandemic, as well as the Utah medical staff’s handling of his ankle injury before last year’s postseason. There was also a report that Gobert appeared to criticize Mitchell’s defensive effort in January, which did not sit well with Mitchell.
In the past, Mitchell had worked through any issues he had encountered in Utah during this offseason. In spite of this, the Jazz finished the regular season with seven losses in their final 11 games, and when they failed to get past the Mavericks during their final 11 games, it became abundantly clear that the team as currently constructed was not a contender for a championship.
After the Jazz traded Gobert in July, it was believed that the team would shake up the roster around Mitchell in order to maximize his potential. Despite the fact that Mitchell has three more years left on his contract (and the option for another year) he is following him out the door.
Mitchell will play alongside the talented young duo of Darius Garland and Evan Mobley in Cleveland, which marks the end of an era in Utah and the beginning of a new one in Cleveland.
In the play-in tournament last season, the Cavaliers just missed out on a playoff berth, falling to the Orlando Magic in the final round. As a result of the acquisition of Mitchell, the team should be able to make a good run in the Eastern Conference going forward.