Donovan Mitchell

Western Notes: Davis, Johnson, Murray, Paschall, Kings

The Lakers enter the season without the pressure of being one of the favorites to win the championship. Anthony Davis relishes being in that position, he told Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

“We’re treating this season like we have a chip on our shoulder. We’re the underdogs,” Davis said. “Obviously, the world is looking to see what we do. But … they’re not talking about us, and that’s fine. You know, we’d rather be under the radar.”

We have more from the Western Division:

  • Keldon Johnson suffered a separated shoulder this month but Spurs coach Gregg Popovich expects him to return by opening night, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express News tweets. Pop anticipates Johnson will return “four or five days” before the opener, adding “I think he will be fine.”
  • Jamal Murray has his “swagger” back, according to Nuggets coach Michael Malone, Mike Singer of the Denver Post writes. Murray spent last season rehabbing from a knee injury. “He looks really good,” Malone said. “The thing I look for, obviously, is how confident is he? He’s out there playing. I don’t see him thinking about anything. He’s just playing the game.”
  • Eric Paschall pondered retirement this summer before signing a two-way contract with the Timberwolves, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets. Donovan Mitchell, his former teammate in Utah, gave him steady encouragement through the process.
  • New Kings coach Mike Brown wants to play with pace and he believes there’s enough shooting around their dynamic point man to aid that cause, Anthony Slater of The Athletic writes. “We want to play fast and give (De’Aaron Fox) an opportunity to get downhill,” Brown said. “If we’re asking Fox to get downhill, he needs space to do it. In order to create space around him, you need shooters. When you’re talking about Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk, Keegan Murray, Harrison Barnes, Terence Davis, Trey Lyles, you’re talking about some high-level shooters.”

Mitchell Trade Changed Cavaliers’ Plans For Season

The Cavaliers‘ coaching staff had to start from scratch after the team worked out a trade for Donovan Mitchell, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and his assistants had just returned from a retreat where they planned out strategies for the upcoming season. Those plans had to be scrapped two days later when news of the Mitchell trade broke.

Instead of preparing for another year with a super-sized front line featuring Lauri Markkanen, Bickerstaff is excited to have two dynamic scorers in his backcourt with Mitchell joining Darius Garland.

“Most teams don’t have enough strong defenders that they can just put one guy on each of these guys,” Bickerstaff said. “We can go out and manipulate the game. We play an unselfish, up-tempo ball-movement type of game. The fourth quarter is where it’s really gonna get fun, where you get to slow the game down a little bit and then you get to play that chess match. But there’s so many threats on the floor that our guys have and how they present themselves. And a lot of times it’s just going to be take what the defense gives you because we know that guy can make you pay.”

Garland and Mitchell were friends long before the trade came together, Fedor adds. Mitchell was a strong supporter of Garland’s bid to make the All-Star team last year, and they worked out together twice during the summer. Mitchell expected to be traded to the Knicks at the time, but instead they’ll form one of the league’s most exciting backcourts.

General manager Koby Altman said one of his first moves after the trade agreement was finalized was to notify Garland.

“We were excited about the team coming back already. If we weren’t able to get this transaction done, we were excited about what we had coming back. But when the opportunity presented itself, absolutely Donovan takes us to another level,” Altman said. “It makes Caris (LeVert) more dangerous. It makes Darius more dangerous. It helps Evan (Mobley). I can’t wait to see what that looks like. It gives us an entirely different dynamic. Of course, you’re thinking about ‘What if we had Donovan in that Atlanta Hawks (play-in) game?’ Hopefully it won’t be that this year.”

It’s been widely reported that the Cavaliers and Jazz talked about Mitchell during the Las Vegas Summer League and didn’t resume conversations until late August after Utah’s negotiations with the Knicks fell apart. Fedor states that during that interval, Altman and Bickerstaff reached out to people who had worked with Mitchell to get their recommendations.

“The first thing out of everybody’s mouth was how good of a person he is,” Bickerstaff said. “I know that sounds like a small thing but in this business, being around each other so much, we impact each other’s lives in a positive or negative way. You want to be able to surround yourself with good people and people who are positive. When you don’t have to sacrifice people over talent, you give yourself an opportunity to build something special. The second thing they all talked about was his work ethic. All he wants to do is work on his game and get better. He wants to be great. That translates to games. He doesn’t take nights off.”

Northwest Notes: Markkanen, Mitchell, Ainge, Snyder, Adelman

Lauri Markkanen reached the 30-point mark in three of Finland’s seven games at EuroBasket, leading the country’s national team to the quarterfinals. Jazz CEO Danny Ainge, who traded for Markkanen, was paying close attention, according to Ryan McDonald of the Deseret News. “He’s really coming into his own,” Ainge said. “We’re seeing things in him, grabbing rebounds and going coast-to-coast with the dribble. Those are things you haven’t really seen out of Lauri yet, and so we’re excited about his future.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

  • Donovan Mitchell took exception to Ainge’s recent observation that the Jazz‘s former core group “really didn’t believe in each other,” pushing back on that claim during an interview with ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “I don’t think we didn’t believe [in each other],” Mitchell said. “I said at the end of the season, ‘Don’t trade [Rudy Gobert]. Let’s figure this out, let’s do.’ And that didn’t happen. For him to say that after six months around the team, I disagree. But you know, at the end of the day, that’s his decision.”
  • Mitchell offered high praise for former Jazz head coach Quin Snyder and expects him to get another head coaching job, he said on a podcast with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (hat tip to McDonald). “Losing a guy like Quin as the leader, as our coach, that was big for me, just not knowing what to expect next and how to go about it into training camp and whatnot,” Mitchell said. “That was tough, but I always loved Quin. I appreciated Quin. Quin’s going to get another job wherever. He’s going to do an amazing job, but ultimately he needed a break.”
  • Nuggets assistant coach David Adelman has agreed to a two-year extension, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweetsAdelman is Michael Malone’s lead assistant and served as acting head coach when Malone had COVID last season. He has spent the past five seasons in Denver.

Knicks Notes: Griffin, Aldridge, Carmelo, Howard, More

The Knicks still have two projected openings on their 15-man regular season roster, and several former All-Stars who have experience playing in New York are still available on the free agent market. Former Nets big men Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge and ex-Knicks star Carmelo Anthony are among the notable names who remain unsigned.

However, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post, the Knicks don’t currently view Griffin, Aldridge, or Anthony as a great fit for their roster. If the team makes a trade or two, it’s possible that stance could change, but for now it seems unlikely that any of those veterans will sign with New York, Berman writes.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

  • In a separate subscriber-only story in The New York Post, Berman cites a source who says free agent center Dwight Howard would love to play for the Knicks. New York’s depth chart at center already features Mitchell Robinson, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Jericho Sims, so it’s unclear if the team would reciprocate that interest.
  • The Knicks’ Donovan Mitchell trade talks with Utah shone a light on a front office hierarchy that many league sources have described as confusing, according to Berman. President of basketball operations Leon Rose, advisor Gersson Rosas, head coach Tom Thibodeau, senior executive William Wesley, general manager Scott Perry, and strategist Brock Aller all have a say in basketball decisions, making it challenging for the front office to come to a consensus, Berman explains.
  • Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News and Michael Scotto of HoopsHype explored several Knicks-related topics in the latest episode of the HoopsHype podcast, including the Mitchell trade negotiations — Bondy claims the Knicks and Jazz were “at the two-yard line” before those discussions fell apart. Bondy and Scotto also discussed Cam Reddish‘s status, Thibodeau’s future, and which star the Knicks might target next, among other issues.

Donovan Mitchell Was Expecting To Be Traded To Knicks

The Cavaliers welcomed Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland today for his introductory press conference, but there was no way to escape questions about the Knicks, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

The Cavs’ trade for Mitchell was a surprise development that came after weeks of negotiations between New York and the Jazz. The teams seemed like natural trading partners, with Utah seeking draft picks and the Knicks having an abundance to offer. Mitchell, a native of the New York City area, expected to return home and admitted that’s where he was hoping to go.

“Who doesn’t want to be home, next to their mom,” Mitchell told reporters. “I haven’t lived at home since I was in the eighth grade and I went to boarding school, so it would have been nice.”

That doesn’t mean Mitchell has any regrets about the way things turned out. He confirmed a rumor that he was “running around crazy” on a Miami Beach golf course when he learned that the Cavs were able to acquire him without giving up core players Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley and Caris LeVert. Mitchell said he’s thrilled to be with such a talented team, which he believes can eventually become among the best in the Eastern Conference.

“Once I found out I got traded and what we were going into, that trumped everything for me,” he said. “I am truly excited to be here, to be a part of this group, to be a part of this city.”

Mitchell was a franchise cornerstone for five years with the Jazz after being selected with the 13th pick in the 2017 draft. He has been an All-Star the past three seasons and was a leader on one of the top teams in the West, but Utah’s lack of playoff success led to major changes this summer. Mitchell said he had a strong feeling that he was going to be traded after the deal sending Rudy Gobert to the Timberwolves was announced.

Mitchell also talked about having a Cavaliers jersey when he was younger and said he became a fan of the team after LeBron James returned in 2014. He may be the franchise’s most important acquisition since James left for L.A., and he’ll play an important role as Cleveland tries to reach the playoffs for the first time since making four straight trips to the NBA Finals.

“On paper, we look scary, but at the end of the day we have to go out and do the work,” Mitchell said. “I can’t sit here and tell you like, yeah, this is a championship team. We’ve got to go out and prove it every night.”

New York Notes: Nets, Sumner, Lustgarten, Barkley, Wesley

A fast start to the regular season would release a lot of the tension and uneasiness surrounding the Nets as they head into training camp, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes.

Media day will be much anticipated, as Kevin Durant will be asked why he wanted Steve Nash and GM Sean Marks fired, and the latter duo will have to discuss how they plan to coexist with the player who tried to oust them. They did already meet in Los Angeles to discuss the situation.

However, if things don’t go well during a rugged early schedule, issues created by Durant’s previous trade request and others regarding Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons could resurface, as Lewis observes.

We have more on the New York teams:

  • The Nets’ Edmond Sumner is excited about his progress from a ruptured Achilles that sidelined him last season when he was with the Pacers. He has apparently gone full speed in five-on-five scrimmages. He feels he can provide versatility to the club, as he told Chris Carrino on a podcast (hat tip to NetsDaily). “I feel I can do a lot of stuff, play off the ball, if you want me to play multiple positions. guard multiple positions,” he said. “I feel I can be a jack of all trades.” Sumner signed a two-year contract that is partially guaranteed in the first year and non-guaranteed in the second year.
  • Andrew Lustgarten is stepping down as CEO and president of MSG Sports, the parent of the Knicks and Rangers, according to Sportico.com. Lustgarten will stay on as MSG Sports CEO through the end of the year, when he will transition to the board. David Hopkinson, an executive vice president at MSG Sports, has been promoted to president and COO.
  • TNT analyst Charles Barkley said in Sirius XM interview (hat tip to Ian Begley of SNY.TV) that he spoke with Knicks executive William Wesley about why they didn’t complete a deal for Donovan Mitchell. Wesley told Barkley that the Jazz asked for too much.“They wanted my wife, my kids…. We wanted the deal, obviously,” Wesley told Barkley. “But he said they wanted my wife, they wanted my kids, they wanted my grandkids. They were just trying to rip somebody off.”

Jazz Notes: Mitchell Trade, Knicks Talks, Conley, Bass

Within their Thursday press release officially confirming the trade that sent Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland, the Jazz‘s top decision-makers explained why they felt it was necessary to move the club’s leading scorer, a three-time All-Star who just turned 26.

“It was clear that in order to optimize our opportunity to create a team that could truly contend and establish sustained success, we needed to transition our roster,” Jazz CEO Danny Ainge said in a statement. “In trading Rudy (Gobert) and now Donovan, it was a rare opportunity to maximize our ability to get quality talent and picks to best position us moving forward. We have a plan in place to help us assemble the championship team our fans deserve. It will take time to craft our roster. We all understand the work ahead and are committed to our vision.”

General manager Justin Zanik, meanwhile, referred to Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, and Ochai Agbaji as three “exciting young players,” suggesting the front office views the trio as part of the Jazz’s long-term plan.

“We believe that they fit the Jazz culture and hard-nosed, competitive brand of basketball we’ve built here in Utah,” Zanik said. “They give us versatility and athleticism on both ends of the floor as we grow toward the future. We look forward to our fans getting to know them.”

Here’s more out of Utah:

  • Previous reports suggested there was some level of “animus” between the Jazz and Knicks, due in part to Knicks executives sitting courtside at Utah’s first playoff game vs. Dallas in the spring, as well as to New York’s decision to extend RJ Barrett while the two teams were negotiating his possible inclusion in a Mitchell trade. However, ESPN’s Zach Lowe said on his Lowe Post podcast that any hard feelings between the Jazz and the Knicks weren’t the reason why Utah made a deal with Cleveland instead of New York.
  • “Emotions can play into this,” Lowe said, per RealGM. “I’ve been assured by the Utah side that ‘No, look, we’re mature people. Yes, we were upset with particularly the Mavs’ game incident, but we’re not going to make decisions based on those kind of things that now happened four months ago or whatever. We’ve made the best deal possible.'”
  • In a column for The Salt Lake Tribune, Robert Gehrke focuses on the off-court impact of the Mitchell trade, arguing that Utah has lost a “conscience of our community.”
  • Nekias Duncan of BasketballNews.com considers what Mike Conley can still bring to a contending team and explores which clubs might be realistic trade suitors for the veteran point guard. Meanwhile, Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune weighs where Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Jordan Clarkson could land if they’re traded.
  • The Salt Lake City Stars – Utah’s G League affiliate – acquired the returning rights to Paris Bass and Elijah Cain in a trade with the South Bay Lakers, per a press release. Bass is reportedly signing an Exhibit 10 deal with the Jazz, so the team clearly intends to have him play for the Stars — it remains to be seen whether Cain is also in SLC’s plans for 2022/23.

California Notes: Kings, Robinson, Warriors, Lakers

While Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox is clearly locked in as the team’s starter at that position, the identity of his backcourt cohort is a bit up in the air. James Ham of The Kings Beat takes stock of the team’s options at shooting guard.

Ham identifies 6’7″ sharpshooter Kevin Huerter, acquired in a trade with the Hawks over the summer, as the option that makes the most sense fit-wise, but notes that free agent signing Malik Monk could get significant consideration as well. Inconsistent wing Terence Davis should get some run in the rotation, while Ham also examines the upside of young swingmen Sam Merrill and Keon Ellis.

There’s more out of California:

  • Shooting guard Jerome Robinson faces an uphill battle when it comes to making the Warriors‘ regular season roster. C.J. Holmes of the San Francisco Chronicle details how the 25-year-old will need to prove his mettle in training camp. In his 2021/22 campaign with Golden State’s G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, the former lottery pick recorded averages of 20.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 3.8 APG in 22 games. Holmes writes that the team may be prioritizing a point guard or more size with the final one or two spots on its standard 15-man roster.
  • The Warriors seem fully capable of mounting a solid title defense this season, HoopsHype’s Yossi Gozlan opines in a fresh season preview. Gozlan posits that Golden State’s excellent two-way play and deep roster of veterans, mixed with some intriguing youth, should make the team a formidable threat in the Western Conference.,
  • On a recent episode of his podcast The Hoop Collective, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reports that the Lakers were never involved in three-team trade talks between the Jazz and Knicks in a potential trade to send Donovan Mitchell to New York. The three-time All-Star was eventually dealt to the Cavaliers instead in a two-team deal. Windhorst adds that the Lakers appear to think that there is no deal for $47MM+ point guard Russell Westbrook, even with their tantalizing 2027 and 2029 first-round picks included, that will significantly upgrade their roster.

Cavaliers Notes: Mitchell, Offseason Moves, Coaching Changes

What are the Cavaliers getting in newly-acquired star Donovan Mitchell? Cavs beat writer Kelsey Russo recently spoke to Jazz beat writer Tony Jones about that topic in an article for The Athletic.

Jones expects Mitchell’s efficiency to improve playing alongside a talented core of Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, and he believes his off-court fit will be seamless. Mitchell is an excellent three-level scorer and strong ball-handler who is able to manipulate defenses at a high level, Jones writes.

According to Jones, having less of an offensive burden should help Mitchell on the defensive end, where he’s been a net negative and “needs to get better and more competitive.” Jones also states that Mitchell has been working hard this offseason to get in better shape, which played a factor in his poor defense in the playoffs against Dallas last season.

Russo mentions the fact that Mitchell has extensive playoff experience, which Cleveland’s roster lacks. Jones notes that Mitchell’s ability to blow past defenders off the dribble is extremely valuable in the postseason, and he’s had some memorable performances against elite competition.

Here’s more from Cleveland:

  • The Cavs rose to No. 8 in David Aldridge of The Athletic‘s re-ranking of offseason moves that improved teams the most. According to Aldridge, the Cavaliers took a big swing, but it could create a window of contention that the team hasn’t had without LeBron James in a couple of decades.
  • Sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link) that the Cavs will be making a couple of changes to their coaching staff for 2022/23. Mike Gerrity, formerly a player development coach with the Cavs, will become the new head coach of their G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge, while former Charge head coach Dan Geriot is heading back to the Cavs as an assistant. The Charge confirmed that Gerrity will be their new head coach in a press release.
  • In case you missed it, Fedor reported on Wednesday that Cleveland was hosting several players for free agent workouts this week, including Armoni Brooks and Kelan Martin.

Jazz Trade Donovan Mitchell To Cavaliers

SEPTEMBER 8: The Jazz officially confirmed the trade of Mitchell in a press release. “Our entire organization wishes him every success in his future,” team owner Ryan Smith said in the release. “Once a Jazzman, always a Jazzman.”


SEPTEMBER 3: The Mitchell trade is now official, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

“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,” general manager Koby Altman said in the press release announcing the move. “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.”


SEPTEMBER 1: The Cavaliers have agreed to a trade with the Jazz and will acquire star guard Donovan Mitchell, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Cleveland is sending three unprotected first-round picks and two pick swaps to Utah as part of the deal. Lauri Markkanen, first-round pick Ochai Agbaji, and Collin Sexton are also headed to the Jazz in the blockbuster trade, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

Sexton is a restricted free agent, so he’ll need to be signed-and-traded as part of the agreement. His new deal with the Jazz will be worth $72MM over four years and will be fully guaranteed, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links).

The three first-round picks going to Utah will be in 2025, 2027, and 2029, since Cleveland already owes its lottery-protected 2023 first-rounder to Indiana, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. The Jazz will have the ability to swap first-rounders with the Cavs in 2026 and 2028, tweets Wojnarowski.

John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 first identified the Cavaliers last week as a team with interest in Mitchell, and Ian Begley of SNY.tv subsequently reported that Cleveland had “touched base” with Utah about the three-time All-Star guard.

Still, today’s news comes as a major surprise. Begley reported last Friday that the Cavs were removing themselves from the Mitchell negotiations, while Brian Windhorst of ESPN said Cleveland had made it clear to the Jazz in their earlier discussions that Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen weren’t on the table. That seemingly made it difficult for the Cavs to meet Utah’s asking price.

However, the Cavs’ package will include most of the other noteworthy assets at their disposal, including all their tradable first-round picks, this year’s No. 14 overall selection (Agbaji), and Sexton, who is just one year removed from averaging 24.3 PPG and 4.4 APG on .475/.371/.815 shooting in 60 games (35.3 MPG).

As good as Sexton was in 2020/21, Mitchell represents an upgrade at the shooting guard position in Cleveland. In his last two seasons, he has averaged 26.1 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game in 120 appearances (33.6 MPG), with a shooting line of .444/.368/.849 shooting line. He’ll earn a $1.68MM trade bonus as part of the deal, Marks notes (via Twitter).

With a core of Mitchell, Garland, Mobley, and Allen, the Cavs will be led by a pair of star duos — an offensively-minded pairing in the backcourt and a rim-protecting duo in the frontcourt.

All of those cornerstone players will be under contract for at least the next three years. Garland signed a new five-year extension this offseason, Mobley’s rookie contract runs through 2025, Allen is in the second year of a five-year contract, and Mitchell is locked up through at least the 2024/25 season (he has a player option for ’25/26).

With their three-for-one trade, the Cavs no longer have to worry about a logjam on their 15-man roster and should, in fact, have one open spot to fill. Once the deal is official, they’ll have 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts, with Lamar Stevens and Dean Wade on non-guaranteed deals. They’ll also create a $3.9MM trade exception in the swap and remain $2.47MM below the tax line, according to Marks (Twitter link).

The Knicks had long been viewed as the frontrunners for Mitchell, but they were never willing to offer more than two unprotected first-round picks (in addition to other protected first-rounders), per Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Unprotected first-round picks and swaps had been the trade chips that Danny Ainge and the Jazz coveted most, as was the case when they acquired a similar return in exchange for Rudy Gobert earlier this summer.

The Knicks and Jazz reportedly reached an impasse earlier this week when the Knicks set an informal Monday night deadline to either agree to a Mitchell trade or extend RJ Barrett, who was being discussed as a possible centerpiece in several permutations of a Mitchell deal. New York ultimately decided to sign Barrett to an extension, which complicated salary matching in a potential trade due to the poison pill provision and brought those trade talks to a temporary halt.

While there was an expectation that the Knicks and Jazz would reengage in the coming weeks, their stalemate opened the door for Cavs general manager Koby Altman to circle back to Utah general manager Justin Zanik, according to Wojnarowski, who says (via Twitter) the two teams “reassembled” a deal they’d been discussing in previous weeks.

The Jazz are now in full rebuilding mode, having traded their two All-Stars in the two most significant deals of the NBA offseason. Taking into account the trades for Mitchell, Gobert, and Royce O’Neale, Utah has acquired eight future first-rounders this summer, and all but one of those picks is unprotected (the eighth is top-five protected). The Jazz also acquired three pick swaps and a pair of players who were drafted in the first round this June (Agbaji and Walker Kessler).

While the Jazz appear to be in teardown mode, their four-year investment in Sexton suggests he’s a major part of their long-term plans. Fischer had reported back in July that Utah was exploring a possible sign-and-trade for the 23-year-old, so he has been on the club’s radar for some time.

Sexton is coming off a lost season due to a torn meniscus, but should be fully healthy this fall and has shown in his first four NBA seasons that he’s capable of becoming one of the league’s highest-scoring guards. Utah also views Markkanen and Agbaji as keepers going forward, tweets Wojnarowski.

Once the trade is official, the Jazz will have 17 players on fully guaranteed contracts, so more roster moves – either cuts, trades, or both – will be coming before opening night. Veterans like Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic, Malik Beasley, and Jordan Clarkson could still be on the trade block.

While it shouldn’t have much of an impact on their roster moves, it’s also worth noting that the Jazz will face a hard cap of $156.98MM for the rest of the 2022/23 league year once they formally sign-and-trade for Sexton. For now, they’re $1.7MM below the tax line ($150.27MM), tweets Marks.