Donovan Mitchell returns to Salt Lake City as a Cav
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Donovan Mitchell has become a star in Cleveland. Photo: Jason Miller/Getty Images
The Cavs take on the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City tonight in a homecoming game for Donovan Mitchell, who spent his first five NBA seasons there.
Catch up quick: Cleveland sent Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, rookie Ochai Agbaji and three first-round picks to Utah for Mitchell in a blockbuster summer trade.
- We caught up with Axios Salt Lake City colleague Ross Terrell to get his thoughts on the trade and the 2022-23 season.
Thoughts from Ross: For the Jazz, this was obvious as a rebuild was needed. The Mitchell-Rudy Gobert pairing here just wasn't set up to win championships.
- It's rare you see a win-win trade in the NBA sports but this might be as close you can get. Markkanen is playing at an all-star level and is the key reason the Jazz have outperformed expectations early in the season.
- They also acquired the proper amount of draft capital to select their next star or put together an enticing trade for a current NBA superstar.
Yes, but: One can only wonder what could've been if the Jazz were able to keep Mitchell and pair him with Markkanen.
- Off the court, there is some solace though knowing Mitchell has at least found a city with a larger Black community.
💠Sam's thought bubble: It pains me to admit, but I was an initial skeptic of the trade. It seemed too much draft capital to expend for another undersized guard with a spotty defensive pedigree.
Yes, but: Since roughly quarter two of game one, I've been a full-on Spida Mitchell freak. The dude is a scoring supernova, whose on-court heroics and off-court leadership instantly elevated the Cavs to legitimate title contenders.
My prediction: The Cavs have been listless on the road thus far, but I think Mitchell puts on a show for the Salt Lake crowd. If the over/under on his points were 34.5, I'd take the over. Cavs win 114-106.