The Cleveland Cavaliers have not been playing the long game. Once they had a whiff of success they began to make win-now moves, including trading for Caris LeVert to try and secure a playoff berth down the stretch last year. The ultimate move came Thursday when the Cavs traded for Utah Jazz All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell.
Cleveland isn’t supposed to be a player in these big superstar trades. They’re supposed to be negotiations between a small market team losing its star and a big market team gaining it. That was the narrative here too, with the New York Knicks in line to add the dynamic perimeter scorer. Then things fell apart, the Jazz pivoted, and the Cavs swooped in to add their best player since LeBron James.
The Cleveland Cavaliers made a blockbuster trade for Donovan Mitchell. Let’s examine this deal for the Cavs from every angle and give a final grade
The final deal? The Jazz sent just Donovan Mitchell in exchange for Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton (in a sign-and-trade on a four-year, $72 million contract), 2022 lottery pick Ochai Agbaji, unprotected first-round picks in 2025, 2027 and 2029, and two unprotected pick swaps reported to be in 2026 and 2028.
It’s quite the trade package, and it’s quite the star player for the Cavs. Let’s break things down by individual components to evaluate this trade piece by piece. Did the Cavs get good value for their picks and players, how does Mitchell fit with the team, and will the Cavs miss being able to make other moves? Finally, we will land on an overall grade for the deal.