CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers pulled out all the stops to ensure Donovan Mitchell ended up heading to Cleveland instead of New York, like so many around the league expected.
But with Mitchell playing at a level that could put him into the MVP conversation , and the Cavs rolling with one of the best records in the conference, it's a blockbuster deal Cleveland wouldn't think twice about making again.
But considering the haul of players and draft picks it took to acquire Mitchell, it's also one that has set up the Utah Jazz just about perfectly. In all, this is the truckload of value it took bring Mitchell to Cleveland: Collin Sexton , Lauri Markkanen , Ochai Agbaji (the 14th pick in the 2022 draft), the Cavs' unprotected first-round picks in 2025, 2027 and 2029 and potential first-round pick swaps in 2026 and 2028.
Mitchell has been nothing short of the Cavs' best-case scenario thus far. Entering Monday night's game against the Jazz , the first time facing his former teammates and the organization with which he spent five seasons, Mitchell has been among the league's top 10 players as the schedule nears the midway point.
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Mitchell ranks fifth in the NBA in Value Over Replacement Player (2.4), sixth in Win Shares (4.4) and is eighth in scoring with 29.5 points per game. He's in the top 10 in both Offensive and Defensive Win Share (ninth and seventh, respectively). Statistically, he's played the best defense of his career while also posting career highs in points per game, field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, free throw percentage and minutes per game.
"A word to describe what he means? I don't know just one word," point guard Darius Garland said when asked about Mitchell. "But he means a lot to this team. He is one of the leaders, one of the heads of the snakes of this team. He has to bring that energy every night. He has to bring that competitive spirit for us every night. On both sides of the ball. He's a huge scorer. He's a true competitor."
The trade instantly elevated Cleveland to a legitimate contender in the conference, with Mitchell joining Garland, Evan Mobley , Jarrett Allen , Kevin Love and company. Last season, the Cavs were the plucky newcomers with a few young players who made a little noise in the league. Adding Mitchell has the Cavs firmly entrenched with the top-tier teams in the East.
"We were in love with the team that we had [last year], but when you have an opportunity, as heartbreaking as it can be because of the relationships you had with some guys, to add someone in Donovan's class, you can't really afford to say no," said Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff. "It was difficult obviously because of the relationships, but his talent level and the background of the type of person that he was, that's something that you just can't turn down."
But Mitchell's impact on the Cavs goes far beyond the numbers he's put up so far. In him, the Cavs added a three-time All-Star and, perhaps most importantly, a leader in the locker room. The conversations the team had to have with Markkanen, Sexton and the others — that all of a sudden, the common goal they are all working toward was being broken up, with some headed to Utah — weren't easy. But some of that was made a bit easier when Mitchell immediately proved he was all in.
"[Just after the trade], he was going to maybe Turks and Caicos with his family for his birthday, somewhere, and the team was going to Nashville, and all he was asking about was how he could get to Nashville," Bickerstaff said. "His birthday wasn't as important. The trip wasn't as important. You could just see the priorities to him. Then you see him around his teammates in Nashville and how they're interacting. He went above and beyond to just be part of it. That's the thing that made it so easy and comfortable."
Mitchell, quickly, has taken the reigns as a leader in multiple fashions.
"I would say honestly as a leader vocally," Mitchell said, when asked how he believes he has impacted the Cavs the most. "I would say I've grown in that sense, just continuing to set that tone. I think I talk more in timeouts than I ever have in my career. That in itself is not only helping the team but helping me stay engaged and stay locked in on the task at hand."
In that sense, Mitchell has been everything for which the Cavs could have asked, and he has elevated Cleveland into, once again, a legitimate contender. But it doesn't mean the price tag to acquire him didn't hurt.
The Jazz entered full rebuild mode and pulled off two blockbuster deals (in addition to other trades). In July, the Jazz dealt three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves for four players (including the No. 22 pick in the draft, Walker Kessler) and four first-round draft picks, including three of them unprotected.
The Cavs' deal has already proved to be valuable to the Jazz, well before Utah will be able to use unprotected first-round draft picks.
That especially goes for Markkanen, who has reached new heights in his sixth NBA season. He's posted career highs nearly across the board, including 22.3 points per game (never averaged above 18.7 before this year) on 52.8% shooting from the floor. While Mitchell with the Cavs is ninth in Offensive Win Shares, Markkanen is 10th. While Mitchell is sixth in Win Shares, Markkanen is 16th.
Sexton, who signed a four-year, $72-million deal as a sign-and-trade in the deal, is still getting his footing after tearing his meniscus last season. But in Markkanen, the Jazz have received immediate value in addition to the haul of draft picks. Markkanen wasn't exactly a player the Cavs were eager to include in a trade — Mitchell was simply one of the few players in the league to which the Cavs couldn't say no. And he was someone who played a key role in the Cavs putting that team on the map in the Eastern Conference.
"He allowed us to play innovative basketball. He allowed us to go in a different direction than the entire league was going," Bickerstaff said. "And, again, I don't want it to be missed on how important he was to it. … And [he] allowed us as a coaching staff to do things that the league just wasn't doing, and it helped catapult us out of where we were, the frustrations of losing and all those things, and helped us get on track to get to where we're heading right now."
In that way, when all is said and done, it's possible the Cavs-Jazz trade ends up being the right deal at the right time for both teams, aiding in Utah's rebuild and Cleveland's thirst for another title.
"I look at it as a win-win," Mitchell told reporters Monday. "You look at everybody's flourishing, and sometimes new beginnings are what you need. That's for both sides. I think it's something that you look at, just, I don't know what the vibe is in the locker room over there, but from when I talked to the guys, it just seems like a fresh breath."
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Donovan Mitchell Cavs Jazz trade revisited as Cleveland Utah benefit
