The Cleveland Cavaliers weren't supposed to trade for Donovan Mitchell.
When it became clear that the Utah Jazz were open to trading their young franchise cornerstone, everyone assumed that he would end up with the New York Knicks, his hometown team that had been amassing trade assets to make a home-run swing.
If someone else were to get into the mix, it would be the type of big-market team that tended to go after stars -- the Miami Heat, or perhaps the Los Angeles Lakers. Cleveland was never supposed to be in the mix, which is what made it so surprising when they came charging in at the last minute and won the bidding war.
From the very moment the trade occurred the discussion around the deal was whether Cleveland could convince Donovan Mitchell to sign long-term with the team, or if there was a ticking clock on his time with the Cavaliers.
ESPN's Kevin Pelton rated the original deal a "C" because of the high cost and the pressure for the team to succeed quickly enough for Mitchell not to walk away. He wrote "the success or failure of this trade hinges on Cleveland's ability to retain Mitchell beyond his 2025-26 player option." Right from the jump, the question was why Mitchell would ever want to stay in Cleveland.
Yet that's exactly what Mitchell did, signing a contract extension this summer to commit to the franchise for the next half-decade. He did so in part because of the on-court success the team had, but also because the organization sold itself to him -- excellent teammates, elite team culture, high-end facilities. Mitchell received an up-close look at everything the Cavaliers had to offer and decided that was worth him sticking around.
Now other NBA teams can learn a lesson from how the Cavaliers approached the Donovan Mitchell trade situation with another All-Star guard hitting the trade market.
NBA teams can copy the Cavaliers with a De'Aaron Fox trade
De'Aaron Fox has informed the Sacramento Kings that he is not going to sign with the team long-term and that they should trade him. Led by his agent, Rich Paul, conversations have pivoted between the All-Star guard and the team from what a future together looks like to how the Kings can maximize the transition to a future apart.
As a part of that conversation, Fox has let it be known that his preferred destination in a trade is the San Antonio Spurs. Given that Victor Wembanyama is already a Top-10 or so player in his second season and plays a brand of basketball naturally complementary to Fox, the desire and the long-term pairing make a lot of sense.
What the 28 other teams in the NBA should not do, however, is kick rocks and watch Fox be traded to the Spurs. Just because they have the initial advantage to acquire and sign Fox doesn't mean another team cannot take the lead.
Fox has less time than Mitchell remaining on his contract, the rest of this season and then all of next year, but that doesn't mean another team cannot use that time to convince Fox to stick around. Trading for him now will give a team two postseason runs to show him that he can succeed there -- be that Orlando, Miami, Golden State, Houston or wherever else.
Perhaps there is a dark horse team that no one is even discussing. Could the Detroit Pistons push their chips into the middle? Could the Utah Jazz make a bold swing?
There is a chance that such a trade would not work out, but other than Kawhi Leonard walking a year after landing with the Toronto Raptors, stars tend to stick around the team that trades for them. If a team feels confident in its organization and believes it could legitimately convince Fox to stay -- go for it! Especially a team with a budding young core that can sustain many years of success with Fox.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were not supposed to have a shot at keeping Donovan Mitchell. They traded for him anyway, and the result was a changed franchise and a partnership that is lasting much longer than anyone expected. Other teams should take that lesson to heart when considering a trade offer for De'Aaron Fox.