NBA
Utah Jazz Trade Three-Time All-Star Donovan Mitchell To Cleveland Cavaliers
Sep 1, 2022, 12:46 PM | Updated: 12:57 pm
(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
Right when it seemed like the NBA offseason was coasting into a quiet ending… chaos ensued.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Utah Jazz have agreed to trade three-time All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In return for Mitchell, Cleveland will send guard Colin Sexton (via sign-and-trade), forward Lauri Markkanen, guard Ochai Agbaji, three first-round picks, and two pick swaps to the Jazz.
Full trade: Utah is trading Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland for Lauri Markkanen, Ochair Agbaji, Collin Sexton, three unprotected first-round picks and two pick swaps, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 1, 2022
As part of Sexton’s new contract with the Jazz, the 23-year-old will sign a four-year deal that is worth $72 million (all fully guaranteed).
Over the past week, it seemed as if the New York Knicks were on the precipice of bringing the New York native Mitchell back to the East coast. Well, Mitchell will be headed East after all, but he won’t be playing home games at Madison Square Garden–instead, he will be lacing up for the Cavaliers come training camp later this month.
Mitchell, 25, was Utah’s largest asset as the team undergoes a full teardown. Following the departure of head coach Quin Snyder and the trade of three-time Defensive Player of the Year award winner Rudy Gobert, the Jazz have finally found the return that they were looking for in this trade with Cleveland.
Per Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, the Knicks’ offer for Mitchell included two unprotected first-round picks, versus Cleveland’s offer of three. In the end, Utah took the deal with more draft capital.
With Mitchell in the fold, a rejuvenated Cavs team just got a lot stronger as the versatile guard will join All-Star guard Darius Garland and centers Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley to add to a team that nearly clinched a berth in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
As for Utah, they will now pivot and look to move other assets such as forward Bojan Bogdanovic, former Sixth Man of the Year award winner Jordan Clarkson, and veteran forward Rudy Gay before the season opener in mid-October.
