Report: Donovan Mitchell Lands in Sixers’ Conference
The Philadelphia 76ers will have another NBA star joining the Eastern Conference this upcoming season. After spending the last couple of months on the Utah Jazz's trade block, All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell has been traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
During the early phases of the 2022 offseason, there were rumors of a potential breakup of the star duo Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.
Although the two stars downplayed a possible split up, the rumors came to life as the Jazz traded away Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
After the Gobert blockbuster, the Jazz avoided taking calls on a possible Mitchell trade. Rumors indicated Utah planned to build around Mitchell rather than trading him away for assets.
Eventually, the Jazz changed their stance. Utah started entertaining offers for Mitchell, with the New York Knicks being the favored team to land him.
Over the past week, the Jazz were reportedly looking to fast-track a Mitchell trade, hoping the Knicks would come through with an ideal offer. After the two teams failed to strike a deal before Monday night, the Knicks agreed to a significant four-year extension with RJ Barrett, which complicated discussions between the Jazz and the Knicks.
While the Knicks weren't entirely out of the picture in a possible Mitchell trade, it became clear that going to New York was a far-fetched move for the young star guard.
Suddenly, the Cavaliers came into the picture and will snag the three-time All-Star ahead of the 2022-2023 season.
Last season, the Cavaliers finished 8th in the Eastern Conference with a 44-38 record. Unfortunately, they missed out on the playoffs after taking on an upset loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA Play-In Tournament. Although they missed the postseason, Cleveland still has a lot of hype surrounding them for next season. Mitchell's presence will surely add to that.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.