Donovan Mitchell is headed to the Eastern Conference. The catch: He will not be suiting up for the New York Knicks. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Cleveland Cavaliers have pulled off the shocking acquisition of the Utah Jazz superstar.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired Donovan Mitchell in a trade, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 1, 2022
Per Woj, the Jazz will receive the package of draft picks they coveted in a move for their All-Star guard, as the team will get a trio of unprotected first-round selections and a pair of swaps. Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports added that the Cavaliers will send three players to Utah as well: veteran forward Lauri Markkanen, 2022 first-round draft pick Ochai Agbaji, and restricted free agent guard Collin Sexton, who Wojnarowski reported agreed to a sign-and-trade to facilitate the deal.
Cleveland will send three unprotected first round picks and two pick swaps as part of the deal to Utah for Mitchell, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/vfphmFMIAf
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 1, 2022
Cleveland will send Lauri Markkanen, Colin Sexton and Ochai Agbaji to Utah in the package for Donovan Mitchell, league sources tell @YahooSports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) September 1, 2022
Sexton has agreed to a sign-and-trade deal to join Utah, sources said.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 1, 2022
This is not the first gigantic trade the Jazz have pulled off this summer, as the team had previously sent Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a package of young players and draft capital. In the aftermath, the team made Mitchell, the team’s All-Star guard, available for trade, with the Knicks viewed as the overwhelming favorite to acquire the New York native’s services.
That, however, fell through earlier this week, which led to the Knicks offering a hefty contract extension to RJ Barrett. Now, Mitchell will join one of the most promising young cores in the Eastern Conference. His backcourt mate, Darius Garland, made his first All-Star team last season, as did big man Jarrett Allen, while second-year forward/center Evan Mobley is viewed as a potential superstar.
