Donovan Mitchell Details How Trade From Jazz to Cavaliers Went Down
Turning back the clock to just over one year ago, the Utah Jazz made the drastic decision to reset their roster and trade the All-Star pairing of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.
Following their multiple playoff shortcomings and being led by new CEO and known dealer Danny Ainge, it was an inevitable move that set the Jazz timeline back into a rebuild. While it was difficult to part ways with such a talented core, the front office had decided this roster had reached its ceiling.
Recently, the former Jazz guard went onto the Run Your Race podcast to discuss a collection of topics, one being the process of his blockbuster trade from Utah in the summer of 2022.
During the talks, Mitchell says he was not in contact with anyone from the organization and was at a golf course when the news broke to him:
“I wasn’t in communication with anybody from Utah, just because it was at a point where it was like, just find a way to kind of make it happen. There’s nothing else to be said or whatever.
So, I’m at home, working out, just trying to figure out where I’m going. Then, I go down to Miami to work out. I’m golfing...My agent called me... I walk out, he’s like, ‘You’re going to Cleveland, I’ll call you back,' and he hangs up."
Mitchell was dealt from Utah in a haul consisting of Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji, Collin Sexton, three first-round picks, and two pick swaps. It paired Spida with a talented core of Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen in Cleveland.
The 4x All-Star guard continued to voice his reaction and excitement when the trade was relayed to him:
“That story of me running around the golf course, all of that was true. Like, I was just hype, because it was just like: Alright, cool, here we go.’ One it’s a fresh start for me, but two, like it’s we were in a situation where we can really do something."'
So far through the 2023-24 season, Mitchell has led the Cavaliers to a 13-9 record, good enough for 6th in the Eastern Conference. In his 17 games played, he is averaging a strong 27.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.3 assists on 45.7% shooting from the field.
After falling short in the first round of the playoffs against the New York Knicks a season ago, Donovan and this Cavaliers team will look to bounce back this upcoming April (and maybe beyond) to really do something this time around.
As for the Jazz, it may take a few more years to get to similar standards. However, with a strong base of building blocks in young talent and a plethora of draft assets, the future is bright in Salt Lake City.
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