Cleveland Cavaliers Earn High Praise For This Massive Trade

The Cleveland Cavaliers have received major praise for this blockbuster trade.

Jun 24, 2022; Independence, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman talks to the media during a press conference introducing the first two draft picks of the Cavaliers at Cleveland Clinic Courts. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Back in August 2021, the Cleveland Cavaliers completed a trade that reshaped the trajectory of their franchise, as they acquired Lauri Markkanen in a three-team sign-and-trade deal.

The deal involved the Chicago Bulls and Denver Nuggets, and the Cavaliers parted with Larry Nance Jr. and a second-round draft pick in order to acquire Markannen.

In a recent re-grade article by Bleacher Report, Greg Swartz gave Cleveland an "A" for the trade.

But Swartz did not give the Cavs high marks for this specific trade; it was because of what the trade eventually generated.

A year later, the Cavaliers included Markkanen as the centerpiece in a deal that landed Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell.

Sure, Markkanen has gone on to become a legitimate star for the Jazz, but he wasn't all that great during his one season in Cleveland, and the Cavs' decision to trade for Mitchell has paid massive dividends.

Not only has Mitchell led the Cavaliers to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons with the club, rescuing them from the doldrums following LeBron James' second exit, but he has also signed a three-year contract extension, keeping him in Cleveland through 2027 with a player option for 2028.

Mitchell has been a revelation for the Cavs, guiding them to 51 wins in his debut campaign and them leading them to a playoff series victory this past spring.

Obviously, Mitchell and the Cavaliers have work to do. The goal isn't just to make it to the second round of the postseason. But he clearly has Cleveland on the upswing, and it all started with the original Markkanen trade three summers ago.