SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Sept. 2, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — Donovan Mitchell offered a goodbye message to Utah Jazz fans Friday, a day after he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“Thank you for the memories and the incredible times,” Mitchell wrote in an Instagram post, adding, “you guys watched me grow up on and off the floor.”
The Jazz said goodbye to one of their most popular players in recent history Thursday when they traded the three-time All-Star to the Cavaliers, continuing to overhaul and rebuild the roster.
Utah received Lauri Markkanen, Ochair Agbaji, Collin Sexton, three unprotected first-round draft picks (2024, 2027 and 2029) and two pick swaps (2026 and 2028) in the deal with Cleveland, according to ESPN.
Mitchell has played all five of his NBA seasons in Utah since being acquired by the Jazz in a draft-day trade with the Denver Nuggets in 2017. Denver drafted Mitchell No. 13 overall and later sent him to Utah in exchange for Trey Lyles, the No. 24 pick.
Mitchell, who turns 26 next week, averaged at least 20 points per game in each of his five seasons in Utah, including a career-best 26.4 points in 2020-21.
The 6-foot-1 point guard averaged a team-leading 25.9 points last season as the Jazz reached the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year. However, Utah has been ousted in the first or second rounds each year during that stretch.
That has led to an offseason of change for the Jazz, who hired Will Hardy in June to replace longtime coach Quin Snyder and then traded three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves for four players and four future first-round draft picks.
Mitchell also included a personal message to Snyder in his Instagram post: “Coach Quin thank you for giving me the opportunity and trusting me to lead this team for the past 5 years.”
Jazz general manager Justin Zanik talked about the possibility of trading Mitchell during a news conference in July.
“Change is inevitable in the NBA,” Zanik said. “I’m not trying to be cryptic or anything else, but Donovan’s on our roster and he’s a very, very important part of what we’re trying to do. … Things evolve in the NBA, so I couldn’t sit here and say anybody is (untouchable). We’re trying to build a championship team, but there’s no intent there at all.”
The New York Knicks had been seen as a preferred destination for Mitchell, who was born in Elmsford in Westchester County, N.Y. However, New York became a less likely trade destination Monday when ESPN announced the Knicks were finalizing a four-year rookie extension with guard RJ Barrett.
The trade to the Cavaliers reunites Mitchell with former Jazz teammate Ricky Rubio, who was tweeted his excitement about the deal.
… we back 🕷 pic.twitter.com/usSjrNACPB
— Ricky Rubio (@rickyrubio9) September 1, 2022
