After weeks of non-stop speculations, the Utah Jazz bid farewell to Mitchell, who many thought could have been the franchise player of the team. Utah dealt Mitchell to the Cavaliers in a deal that saw the Jazz receiving multiple players and future picks.
Every trade has its winners and losers, so let’s analyze how the blockbuster deal went down.
Winners: The Utah Jazz
Ever since the Jazz traded three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves early in the 2022 offseason, many saw it as a sign that the team was starting to move towards a rebuilding phase. After all, they failed to move past the second round of the playoffs, despite having the Gobert-Mitchell tandem at the helm.
When Gobert was traded along with other veterans including Patrick Beverley, many also believed it was only a matter of time before Donovan Mitchell found himself in a new city as well.
Now that Mitchell is out of the picture, the Jazz’s rebuilding phase has been sped up with their acquisition of Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji, Lauri Makkanen, three draft picks, and two picks swap.
Collin Sexton, the eighth pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, averaged 16 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and shot 45% from the field during his final year in Cleveland. He could take over the lead guard spot Donovan Mitchell leaves behind in Utah. The only question with Sexton is if he can stay healthy in the long run. He only played 11 games last season due to a torn meniscus.
Utah also benefits from acquiring Lauri Makkanen. While he’s not an upgrade from Gobert, he’s a big with a respectable percentage from the three-point line (35.8% last season).
The real win for Utah however is the massive haul of draft compensation which they could use to rebuild the team in the coming seasons. It’s a win-win deal for the Jazz.
Winners: The Cavs
With Donovan Mitchell in the picture, the Cavs now have a solid line-up that also includes Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley. The three existing Cavs are still under the age of 25 and could form a solid nucleus that can crack open their window to compete in the East, something they haven’t been able to do since the LeBron James years.
The Garland-Mitchell backcourt duo is already being seen as one of the NBA’s most powerful backcourts offensively. In just his third season, Darius Garland averaged 21.7 points, 8.6 assists, and 3.3 rebounds. He also shot 38.3% from long distance.
Combine those numbers with Mitchell’s 25/5/3, and you now have a backcourt capable of causing problems for defenders.
Losers: The Knicks
If there’s one team in the NBA that would have benefited from acquiring Donovan Mitchell, it’s the New York Knicks.
They had the assets. They had the draft compensation to offer. They were named as the frontrunners to get Mitchell. Instead, they blew it. The Utah-New York talks faltered. And to make things more complicated, the Knicks signed RJ Barrett to a four-year extension.
Barrett had been a fixture in the trade rumours surrounding Mitchell.
Not only did the Knicks miss out on another big name, they also received the ire of their fanbase and media alike. After all, this isn’t the first time the Knicks missed out on a potential big star after appearing to be the driver’s seat in negotiations.
-Iggy Gonzales