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Report: Cavaliers Acquire Donovan Mitchell From Jazz
Donovan Mitchell is officially on the move.
The Utah Jazz have reportedly traded All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal comes just days after the New York Knicks inked RJ Barrett to an extension, ending talks between Utah and New York, the perceived frontrunner in the Mitchell sweepstakes.
Cleveland will reportedly send three unprotected first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps to Utah, according to Wojnarowski, along with Lauri Markkanen, Colin Sexton, and Achai Agbaji, per Chris Haynes.
It's the second massive deal Utah has made this summer, having already sent Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves for four first-round picks, 2022 first-round pick Walker Kessler. Utah also sent Patrick Beverley to the Los Angeles Lakers for Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson.
While the Toronto Raptors were never rumored to be in on Mitchell, the trade is a tough blow for the Raptors who will now face even tougher competition in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland came up short of the postseason last year, but with development from Evan Mobley and better health from Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen next season, the Cavaliers should solidify themselves as a playoff team next year.
The Knicks' final offer for Mitchell reportedly included two unprotected first-round picks. Cleveland's willingness to include the third pick got the deal done, per Jake Fischer.
Further Reading
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Raptors sign Christian Koloko, hard capping the team for 2022-23 season
Raptors roster battles haven't helped their cases at FIBA qualifiers
