How Acquiring Donovan Mitchell Turned Entire Cavaliers Franchise Around

September 1, 2022. To some this is just a day where they don’t remember their breakfast. But to fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers, it is extremely hard to forget. Because it was that day that the Twitter notification hit their phones and devices from Adrian Wojnorowski. The team had made a franchise-altering trade.

It was on this day, just before 3:00 PM ET, that Donovan Mitchell became a Cavalier.

Acquired in exchange for Ochai Agbaji. Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, and draft capital, this immediately made the franchise a playoff team. That was a foreign concept without LeBron James going back 25 years to the 1997-98 campaign.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired Donovan Mitchell in a trade, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 1, 2022

There were a few ways that this really showed that the team was ready to take it to the next level.

A Serious Investment

Truthfully, the acquisition of Donovan Mitchell is arguably the biggest trade in Cavs history. Bringing in a guy that had the track record he did in Utah was no small feat. That he happened to have a 71-point game during his first season just makes it even more special. From the get-go, he was showing just how great he could be.

More important than that, was the reaction of Mitchell on the golf course upon finding out he was going to Cleveland. Early reports were later confirmed that the guard was running laps immediately after receiving the news. This is a player that was excited about his future home, and the excitement was immediately real. From both sides.

Taking risks is how teams move up. The year prior ended with an upset in the play-in despite being the #7 seed, and some other injuries ruined Cleveland’s momentum. They took the lottery pick they then had as a result, packed it with some talent, and poof. The next chapter was being written.

Leveling Up

Collin Sexton meant a lot to the Cavs organization. From the day he was drafted, he showed what he brought to the team. He scored when it was called upon, and always brought the energy. He hit clutch shots. And for the first few years of his career, he was durable.

The night he lit up the Nets and scored 20 straight to spoil the debut of their KD-Harden-Kyrie Big 3 will live forever. But the injury he suffered early in 2021-22 was unfortunately the beginning of the end of his time. Had he stuck around and Cleveland not traded for Donovan Mitchell, they probably wouldn’t have made the playoffs.

Sure, Lauri Markkanen became an All-Star in Utah, but he would not have hit the same level with the Cavs.

Donovan Mitchell brought the confidence of a true alpha, top 10-15 NBA player right away. He paired with Evan Mobley to immediately form a strong duo. This took them to a level they would not have hit. He’s had one of the best four years runs by any player in franchise history. Only LeBron James put up the numbers that #45 has since coming over. The recent trip to the ECF was a huge step for the organization.

The unquestioned superstar of the franchise has now been around for four years. Four glorious trips around the sun. Here’s to four more.