NOPE. DON’T LIKE THAT.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Cleveland Cavaliers just acquired the Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell. The trade package for the three-time All-Star includes Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, rookie Ochai Agbaji, three unprotected first-round picks, and two pick swaps.
While Cleveland has always been lingering in the background as a possible team looking to make a big move, I’m not sure anyone saw them winning the Mitchell sweepstakes this summer. The New York Knicks were long rumored to be the likely landing spot, but their decision to extend R.J. Barrett earlier this week looks like it may have opened the door for Cleveland to swoop in.
We’ll have more to come shortly.
UPDATE (3:00pm)
While this feels like a pretty massive win for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who don’t have to forfeit one of their All-Star-caliber players, we can’t sleep on what the Jazz have done this summer.
As Wojnarowski notes, Utah now has 13 unprotected or lightly protected future first to go along with two first-round picks from this season in Agbaji and Walker Kessler (acquired in the Gobert trade). As far as starting a full-blown rebuilding goes, you can’t do it much better than that.
Of course, this is pretty awful news for the Chicago Bulls. Not only will they have to see Donovan Mitchell and Co. four times a year for the foreseeable future, but this move surely thrust the Cavaliers ahead of the Bulls in the preseason power rankings. A lineup with Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen … ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?
I think I’m going to throw more of my thoughts on this into a separate post, so keep a lookout for that. But, overall, I think it’s fair to say this trade has me extremely worried about the Bulls’ potential to rise up the conference standings again this season.