The Eastern Conference just got a whole lot better.
Coming off of a surprising season that saw them win 44 games and compete for a playoff spot, the Cavaliers stunned the NBA with a blockbuster, trading Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji and a bunch of picks to the Jazz for three-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell.
While Mitchell certainly has his flaws, he’s a bonafide offensive superstar. He’s developed into one of the most explosive scorers in the league, averaging 25.3 points per game on .446/.367/.854 shooting splits over the last three seasons. The list of players with a high scoring average during that span isn’t particularly long.
In Cleveland, Mitchell joins an exciting young core of Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Garland and Allen were both named All-Stars last season while Mobley finished second in Rookie of Year voting. For those keeping count, the Cavaliers now have three All-Stars not yet in their prime and someone widely expected to be an All-Star — and their best player — in the near future.
Does that mean they’re going to make noise in the Eastern Conference? Let’s take a closer look.
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How much better are the Cavaliers with Donovan Mitchell?
Sexton basically didn’t play last season due to an injury and Agbaji will be a rookie in 2022-23, so the only rotation player Cleveland is losing in this deal is Markkanen. Markkanen gave the Cavaliers size and shooting, but Mitchell is a far superior shooter and an elite on-ball creator.
Put it this way: Cleveland ranked 20th out of 30 teams in offensive efficiency last season. Many times, Garland was the only player on the court who could consistently create shots for themselves and others. Garland and Mitchell will have to figure out how to share the ball — Cleveland is now home to two high usage guards — but an offense led by the two of them has the potential to be explosive.
There’s reason to believe Garland and Mitchell will complement each other as well. Mitchell has greatly improved as a passer, but he’s still a scorer by nature. Garland filling the point guard duties will allow Mitchell to do what he does best — get buckets.
Defensively, the Cavaliers were dominant last season. Only the Celtics, Warriors, Suns and Heat finished the season with a better defensive rating. Again, they’re losing a lot of size in swapping the 6-foot-11 Markkanen for the 6-foot-1 Mitchell, but Mobley and Allen were the primary reason they were so stingy on that end of the court. Nothing comes easy against Allen at the basket and Mobley has the potential to win Defensive Player of the Year someday (potentially as soon as next season). He’s an elite rim protector himself, and he has the mobility to switch onto almost anyone.
Mobley even got some All-Defensive votes as a rookie. That’s not normal.
While Mitchell doesn’t exactly have the best defensive reputation — neither does Garland for that matter — he’s now going to be playing next to not one, but two elite defenders in the frontcourt. (Rudy Gobert might have an edge over Allen and Mobley for now, but the Utah teams that fell apart defensively in the playoffs didn’t have a No. 2 nearly as disruptive as either one of them.) Together, Allen and Mobley should be able to clean up a lot of Mitchell and Garland’s mistakes.
The Cavaliers also have some solid pieces coming off the bench. Assuming Isaac Okoro starts at small forward to give them even more defense, the second unit features Ricky Rubio, Caris LeVert, Cedi Osman, Kevin Love and Robin Lopez. That’s real depth with smart, veteran players who will know how to play to the strengths of the main core.
Put it all together, and the Cavaliers have the makings of something pretty special.
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Where do the Cavaliers now rank in the Eastern Conference?
The easy part: assuming the Cavaliers will be much better.
The hard part: figuring out how much better relative to a stacked Eastern Conference.
It’s safe to assume that the Bucks and Celtics will be at the top of the standings again next season. Additionally, the 76ers should be a problem. The Nets are a huge question mark, but a team with Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons and shooters has a ton of potential. The Heat will probably feel the loss of PJ Tucker, but count them out at your own risk.
Beyond those teams, the Raptors and Hawks should improve. There’s also the Bulls, who proved to be feisty last season when at full strength.
Basically, the Eastern Conference is going to be a dog fight. It would be a disappointment if this Cavaliers team didn’t earn a top-six seed, but they’re probably still a step behind the Bucks, Celtics and 76ers at the very least.
Don’t let that temper your excitement, though. This trade is as much about the future as it is making the Cavaliers more competitive now. Garland proved to be one of the best point guards in the NBA last season and won’t turn 23 years old until January. Mobley only recently celebrated his 21st birthday. Allen, 24, and Mitchell, 25, are the oldest of the group, and yet they’re both under 26.
The icing on the cake is they’re each under contract for the foreseeable future. Garland, Mitchell and Allen recently signed extensions, and Mobley will be under team control for nearly a decade.
Maybe the Cavaliers aren’t competing for a championship next season, but they’ve set themselves up for several bites at the apple. That is what makes this a home run trade for them.
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