Revisiting the Donovan Mitchell to Cavaliers Trade
Over seven months ago, on September 1, 2022, a blockbuster trade occurred in the NBA. Utah Jazz star guard Donovan Mitchell was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Jazz received Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji, Collin Sexton, three unprotected first-round draft picks in 2025, 2027, and 2029, and two pick swaps in 2026 and 2028, and the Cavaliers received Donovan Mitchell.
Before this trade occurred, it was known that the Jazz were looking to trade Mitchell, and many assumed it would be a trade with the New York Knicks, who were seen as one of the top suitors for him. The Knicks wanted Mitchell, a New York native, and offered a lot to try to trade for him. In trade discussions with the Jazz, they offered Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and two unprotected first-round picks. Jazz general manager Danny Ainge, however, wanted more, which included either Quentin Grimes and/or another unprotected first-round pick. The Knicks didn’t want to give up this much for Mitchell and temporarily walked away from trade talks. This was when Cleveland swooped in and gave the Jazz what they thought was a better offer than that of the Knicks, and they were able to acquire Mitchell.
The Knicks were criticized by many after failing to get a trade done for Mitchell, and they went into the 2022-2023 season with relatively low expectations, given that their biggest off-season move was the free-agent acquisition of Jalen Brunson. Brunson and the Knicks, however, vastly exceeded all expectations, going 47-35 and getting the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. In the first round, they would meet the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, led by, you guessed it, Donovan Mitchell.
Based on the first round series, it seems like the Knicks ended up being better off that they didn’t acquire Mitchell. Led by the stellar play of Brunson, Julius Randle, and Barrett and Quickley, two of the players the Jazz wanted for Mitchell, the Knicks won the series four games to one, clinching the series victory with a 106-95 win on Wednesday night. In game five, Brunson scored 23 points for the Knicks, Barrett had 21, and Quickley had 19. In game four, where the Knicks won 101-92 to take a commanding 3-1 lead, both Brunson and Barrett outplayed Mitchell. Mitchell shot five for 18 from the field and finished with only 11 points for the Cavaliers, while Brunson had 29 points while shooting an efficient 11 for 22 from the field, and Barrett had 26 points, going an equally efficient nine for 18 from the field.
Moreover, along with being better than the Cavaliers right now, by not being involved in the Mitchell trade, the Knicks are much better set up for success in the future. The Knicks have 10 first-round draft picks from 2023 to 2029, including all of their own picks, which are unprotected and carry more value. This sets them up well to build for the draft or package some of these picks in a future trade for a star player. The Cavaliers, on the other hand, have traded to the Jazz three of their unprotected first round draft picks and two pick swaps. This means they are not nearly as well set up for the next few years, since they don’t have the draft capital to trade for a star or get some good players in the draft. Thus, the Cavaliers are close to their ceiling right now, and are still not as good as the Knicks, who haven’t even come close to their peak.
I know myself and many other Knicks fans are getting excited for a potential finals run this year, given the Bucks’ struggles against the Heat, the current injury problems Joel Embiid is having, and the Knicks’ relative dominance of the Celtics this season. But, even if the Knicks don’t make the finals and lose in the Eastern Conference playoffs this year, us Knicks fans shouldn’t be too upset, since we have already gone above and beyond what many thought was possible for us this year, and this season is just the beginning of what could be a future NBA championship team.