Rejoice, Cleveland, you have acquired Donovan Mitchell, an in-his-prime All-Star that joins a talented young core that should become a force in the Eastern Conference for years to come.
Congratulations, New York, you didn’t get Mitchell.
And you should be just as happy about that.
Utah executed its second blockbuster trade in three months on Thursday, shipping Mitchell to Cleveland for three first-round picks—unprotected first-round picks—two pick swaps and a handful of players Jazz CEO Danny Ainge probably doesn’t care too much about. The Cavs, armed with one of the NBA’s best backcourts—LeBron James, responding to a tweet about how tough a Mitchell-Darius Garland backcourt would be, replied “SO TOUGH”—a long, athletic front line and still solid supporting cast, have the pieces for a deep playoff run.