CLEVELAND — It's officially official. Saturday afternoon the Cleveland Cavaliers announced the acquisition of three-time All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell in a trade that has sent shockwaves through the NBA.
RELATED: Report: Cleveland Cavaliers acquire All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell; trade Collin Sexton to Utah Jazz
The blockbuster trade came together Thursday afternoon seemingly out of the ashes as most had considered the Cavs to be out of the running for Mitchell with the Knicks appearing to be the overwhelming favorite.
But as modern history has proven, you can never count the Knicks out of coming away empty handed just inches away from the finish line.
The Cavaliers will send guard Collin Sexton, forward Lauri Markkanen, rookie guard Ochai Agbaji, 3 unprotected first-round draft picks in 2025, 2027 and 2029 and pick swaps in 2026 and 2028 to the Utah Jazz for Mitchell.
“The acquisition of Donovan Mitchell presented us with an incredible opportunity to bring one of the NBA’s most dynamic young All-Stars to Cleveland,” said Koby Altman, the Cavaliers’ president of basketball operations. “Already a special and proven talent at just 25-years-old, Donovan brings a competitive mentality that organically fits with the core group of this team. We are excited to see the impact that someone of Donovan’s caliber can bring to the Cavaliers with his ability to score the basketball, but also make plays for his teammates.”
Sexton agreed to a sign-and-trade as part of the deal signing a four year, $72 million deal according to his agent Rich Paul of Clutch Sports.
The Cavs organization took to Twitter Saturday afternoon to thank Sexton for his contributions to the organization.
Sexton turned into quite the fan favorite since he was drafted #8 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft. Often described as a "6th man at best" and "extremely raw offensively", Sexton emerged as legitimate offensive threat in the 2020-21 season averaging 24.3 points per game with a 37.1 three-point percentage while Darius Garland struggled to find his offensive rhythm for most of the season.
The Donovan Mitchell acquisition solidifies the Cavaliers projected starting lineup as one of the most formidable groups in the Eastern Conference while featuring no starters over the age of 25 (Mitchell being the oldest at 25-years-old).
It also sends a major vote of confidence in the organization's belief that the championship window could be open sooner rather than later. If the Cavaliers were one star away from accelerating that window, Mitchell provides exactly what the Cavs were missing.
A dynamic guard that can shoulder the scoring load and take pressure off of Darius Garland, Mitchell has averaged 24, 26.4 and 25.9 points per game respectively in each of his last three seasons.
One question remains with the roster before the regular season starts in just under two months, what will the Cavs do to address the hole at small forward?
Gone is the big man lineup that they briefly put back on the map last season with Markkanen, Mobley and Allen with Markkanen on his way out west. Isaac Okoro will get an opportunity early on to make the leap offensively while guarding opposing team's best players on the wing.
Caris LeVert provides another dynamic option offensively on the wing but was inconsistent after the Cavs traded for him before the trade deadline last year. With an $18.7 million expiring contract, he could be an interesting trade piece for the Cavs to offload to a team with a wing option that fits the Cavs roster makeup better and is looking to get money off the books at season's end.
The second departure of Lebron James after Kyrie Irving's unceremonious exit left the Cavs with a decimated and aging roster built around two stars that weren't on the roster anymore. In 4 years Cavs GM Koby Altman has assembled one of the most exciting, young rosters in the entire league with four recent former All-Stars in the starting lineup.
For the first time in over two decades, a true identity will continue to be forged without LeBron as the savior.
Previous Reporting on the Donovan Mitchell trade: