Winners and losers in Donovan Mitchell trade to Cavaliers

In a verboten journalistic move, I am going to plunge a knife into the heart of this story in the first paragraph: We will not know who are the real winners and losers of this trade for years. Maybe seven years. There are just a lot of variables. We don’t know what those picks Cleveland sends to Utah will look like when they convey. We don’t know if Donovan Mitchell will be happy long-term in Cleveland and stay. There are many, many questions.

But from where we stand today, it’s a good day to be Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers.

Here are the winners and losers from the blockbuster Mitchell trade to the Cavaliers. First, here is what the trade looks like:

Cavaliers recieve: Donovan Mitchell

Jazz recieve: Three unprotected first-round picks (2025, 2027 and 2029), the rights to two pick swaps (2026 and 2028), Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, and Ochair Agbaji.

He wanted out of Utah. Maybe before the Rudy Gobert trade, but certainly after it.

Cleveland is not New York or Miami (his preferred destinations), but Cleveland gives Mitchell a chance to be on a team that will be in the mix in the East for years. Mitchell is going to play in games that matter on a team that, as it grows and develops, could be at the top of the East in a couple of years.

Landing in Cleveland is a win for Mitchell.

And, if he is unhappy, in a couple of years, Mitchell can force his way out (he has three years remaining on this contract, plus a player-option fourth season). Reports out of Cleveland were that Mitchell was excited, and he hinted as much on Twitter.

‼️ https://t.co/5lqkyvBvSP

— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) September 1, 2022

Plus, Cleveland has better pierogi than New York or Miami.

This was a bold move by the Cavaliers — and a