Earlier this week, NBA All-Star Donovan Mitchell was officially introduced as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. They acquired him in a trade from the Utah Jazz on September 3rd in exchange for Lauri Markkannen, Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji, unprotected first-round picks in 2025, 2027 and 2029 and pick swaps in 2026 and 2028.
The Cavaliers came out of nowhere to land Mitchell, as he was reported just a week before the trade went down that Cleveland had pulled out of the race for him. When talks between the Jazz and New York Knicks stalled again, Koby Altman saw an opportunity to get back into the race and pounced.
The last time the front offices of Utah and New York talked was on the Monday before the trade. An offer was made by the Knicks and it ended up being the final offer as the two sides didn’t talk about a Mitchell trade again.
This outcome is one that surprised a lot of people. For weeks it was reported that the Knicks were the front-runners to acquire the three-time All-Star, bringing him back home to play for the team he rooted for when growing up. His father, Donovan Mitchell Sr., now works for the New York Mets.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz & New York Knicks Updates
Ending up in Cleveland is something that surprised Mitchell himself. During his introductory press conference, he was asked about it.
“I thought for sure I was going back home, I’m not gonna lie about that,” Mitchell said.
It sounds as if Mitchell was excited about the prospect of going back home, but he certainly isn’t disappointed about ending up in Cleveland. The Cavaliers now have an impressive core of players to build around as Mitchell joins All-Stars Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen and Rookie of the Year runner-up Evan Mobley in the starting five.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz & New York Knicks Updates
That roster has the makings of being special as they can be dominant on both ends of the court. While Mitchell would have been excited about playing for the Knicks, landing with the Cavaliers is likely better from a basketball outcome as they are much closer to being ready to contend than the Knicks are.
