4 important things to know before Cavs trade for Donovan Mitchell

4 things before Cavs trade for Donovan Mitchell: Expensive negotiation

Danny Ainge was known during his time with the Boston Celtics as a frustrating negotiator, one who extracted every drop of value from every trade he engaged in. From the trades he did pull off (Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce for Brooklyn’s future) to the ones he allegedly didn’t (Paul George, Anthony Davis, etc) he never wanted to “lose” the deal.

That has apparently carried over to his role with the Utah Jazz, never more apparent than the first few days of July. He managed to hoodwink a Brooklyn Nets team with an uncertain future into trading a first-round pick for a 3-and-D player who has been inconsistent with the “3” and is slipping noticeably at the “D” in Royce O’Neal. Then he pulled off the blockbuster of the century, sending Rudy Gobert and his massive contract to the Minnesota Timberwolves for multiple valuable rotation pieces (all of them more valuable than O’Neal), two prospects and a whopping return of draft picks.

Anyone expecting the Cavs to acquire Mitchell for Kevin Love’s expiring contract and a pair of first-round picks is sorely mistaken. The Jazz are going to want picks and swaps and young talent. The question is whether the Cavs can meet that demand and still field a team that can compete for a title over the next few years.

The best avenue for such a deal is to include Collin Sexton in a sign-and-trade. If he is open to going to Utah to be the centerpiece star, let’s say that he signs a four-year, $88 million deal with a player option. He heads to the Jazz along with Markkanen and Agbaji, the Cavs’ 2025, 2027 and 2029 first-round picks, along with swaps in 2026 and 2028. Would the Cavs be able to stomach that? Would the Jazz accept it? Will they demand Jarrett Allen in the deal? It’s going to be a costly move no matter how you slice it.