With Kevin Durant ultimately opting to stay at the Brooklyn Nets, theonly big name left on the market was Donovan Mitchell. A trade to the New York Knicks looked imminent, but once again, the NBA offseason took a huge twist.
In a shocking turn of events, the Utah Jazztraded Mitchell to theClevelandCavaliers.Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported the bombshell news on Thursday, mentioning the full details of the blockbuster deal.
“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,” Woj tweeted. Apparently, the Cavs outbid the Knicks.
NBA Trade Rumors: Cavaliers improvedKnicks’ offer for Donovan Mitchell
The Knicks were seen as frontrunners for Mitchell, yet once again a shock was produced. According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the reason why the Knicks lost to the Cavs in the race for Mitchell is because Cleveland offered them more draft capital.
“Word was New York’s final, best offer for Donovan Mitchell included two unprotected first-round picks. Cleveland’s ultimate package features three, plus two pick swaps that are also unprotected, sources said. Utah always made it clear they were hunting for future draft capital,“ Fischer tweeted.
“To be clear, there was additional draft pick compensation in the Knicks’ overtures for Mitchell, but sources said Monday’s final effort only included two unprotected selections. And in this offseason’s economy, especially in Utah, unprotected picks were the name of the game.”
On top of that, Woj reports that the Knicks also left the door open for the Cavs by refusing to strike a deal on Monday night. It’s certainly a huge blow for New York, as their No. 1 target will strengthen an Eastern Conferencerival.