In NBA trade news, Donovan Mitchell has been traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported on his twitter feed that Cleveland traded three unprotected first round picks and two pick swaps to acquire the guard. Also, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports is reporting on his twitter feed that Cleveland is also trading forward Lauri Markkanen, guard Colin Sexton and their recent lottery pick Ochai Agbaji to Utah. This trade literally came out of left field as this is a stunner to everyone. So why did Cleveland and Utah did this trade?
NBA Trade News – Donovan Mitchell Traded to the Cavaliers, Why for Cleveland?
The eastern conference in the NBA is like an arms race with many teams getting stronger. The Cavaliers felt the pressure to make a move to compete. Mitchell is a dynamic scorer who can score in bunches. Him and Darius Garland will form a lethal back court who will score a lot of points. You add Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley and you have an impressive starting unit. The Cavs are definitely in a win now mode. They feel that their time is now and are going for it!
NBA Trade News -Donovan Mitchell Traded to the Cavaliers, Why for the Jazz?
Picks and young talent and this trade gave Utah both! You really have to give Jazz GM Danny Ainge some credit. Getting three unprotected first rounders is quite a coup. Getting two pick swaps is gravy. And getting three promising young players is just crazy! I have always liked Markkanen’s game as he is a versatile player who can play all three front court positions, can shoot from deep and can defend and rebound. I know the Cavs did not want Colin Sexton but when he is at his best, he is a lethal scorer. He can score from inside and out. Finally, recent 2022 lottery pick Ochai Aqbaji was a solid player from Kanas who scored almost 19 points per game and shot over 40 percent from three in his final year. The trade was a no brainer for Utah.
Who Won the Trade?
I would say Utah won easy! I get why Cleveland did the trade and I know many view Donovan Mitchell as a super star. However, super stars play on both sides of the ball. Mitchell’s defense or lack of leaves a lot to be desired. Part of the reason center Rudy Gobert wanted to leave Utah was that he was tired of always covering for Mitchell’s defensive miscues. Now Jarrett Allen has to cover for both Mitchell and Garland as the Cavs are now weaker defensively. We saw what happened to the Cavs when Allen got hurt last year. They went into a free fall and Evan Mobley could not make up for what was lost. Also, a Mitchell and Garland are a small back court. Teams will attack them on the defensive end and wear them down especially in the playoffs. I can see regular season success but not sure about a deep playoff run. If they do not have a deep run in the near future , it will be hard to add talent economically without draft picks. As a result they might have to blow their team up to make changes.
For Utah, this trade was both for rebuilding and retooling. The draft picks add to their war chest of picks they already have which gives them potential future talent. The players they received could end up being pretty good and will help Utah build it’s foundation. It’s a win win for the Jazz as their future looks bright! However, only time will tell to see who really won.
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