Cavaliers acquire All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell from Jazz: reports
Markkanen, Agbaji, Sexton, 3 unprotected 1st-round picks sent to Utah as part of deal
Donovan Mitchell is going east.
Cleveland is sending guard Collin Sexton, forward Lauri Markkanen and rookie guard Ochai Agbaji along with three unprotected first-round picks to the Jazz, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because it still must be approved by the league.
ESPN was the first to report Mitchell's exit from Utah.
There had been speculation for months that Mitchell might get moved, and it appeared the New York Knicks were the front-runner for him. Cleveland, though, jumped in and added a player that could push them into title contention.
Full trade: Utah is trading Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland for Lauri Markkanen, Ochair Agbaji, Collin Sexton, three unprotected first-round picks and two pick swaps, sources tell ESPN.
—@wojespnMitchell can take over a game, and he'll give Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff a late-game option.
The Cavs are also giving up unprotected first-round picks in 2025, 2027 and 2029 and swapping picks in 2026 and 2028, said the person.
Mitchell, who averaged 25.9 points per game last season, will pair in Cleveland with All-Star point guard Darius Garland. He'll also play with All-Star centre Jarett Allen and forward Evan Mobley, who had a strong rookie season averaging 15.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks.
Mitchell signed a five-year, $163 million US contract in 2020 and is under contract through the 2026 season.
Cleveland also has Garland and Allen locked up to long-term deals.
Utah cleaning house
The 23-year-old Sexton missed last season with a knee injury and was a restricted free agent. He's a proven scorer, but became expendable for Cleveland due to Garland's development and the club's talented frontline.
Sexton will sign a four-year, $72 million contract as part of a sign-and-trade agreement with Utah, his agent Rich Paul confirmed for AP.
Markkanen averaged 14.8 points and 5.7 rebounds in his first season with the Cavs, who made the play-in round last season before losing to Brooklyn and Atlanta.
This is the second major trade during this off-season for Utah, which started its rebuild in July by trading All-Star centre Rudy Gobert to Minnesota.
The Mitchell trade gives Utah even more draft capital. The Jazz now have at least 13 first-round picks, plus the two swaps that were part of this deal, over the next seven drafts. The Jazz currently have three first-round picks in 2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029.
But the Jazz are starting over now, in so many ways.
The re-do in Utah started in early June when Quin Snyder — who had guided the Jazz to six consecutive playoff appearances, but never got them out of the second round — decided to end his eight-year run as coach.
Utah eventually hired Will Hardy to coach, though there was still speculation then about whether the Jazz would break up the 1-2 punch of Mitchell and Gobert. Now, they're both gone.
The Mitchell-Gobert relationship was clearly strained at times, going back to at least the start of the pandemic, when Gobert was the first NBA player to test positive for COVID-19 and Mitchell tested positive a day later.
They now get new starts elsewhere, and the Jazz are in the full throes of a rebuild — just as Cleveland was not long ago.
