Why the Lakers and Lebron James are the Biggest Winners in the Donovan Mitchell Trade
On September 1st, 2022 it was reported that all-star guard Donovan Mitchell was acquired by the Cleveland Cavaliers in a trade from the Utah Jazz. The Cavaliers acquired Mitchell and traded away Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji, first-round picks in 2025, 2027, and 2029 as well as pick swaps in 2026 and 2028. When we think about who was the biggest winner during this transaction initially it seems it is the Utah Jazz. On top of trading Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a lot of draft compensation, they were able to trade their other all-star for a lot of picks to put them in prime position for the future. We could also look at the Cleveland Cavaliers as the winner of this transaction because they were able to acquire an all-star caliber player in Donovan Mitchell which could put the Cleveland Cavaliers in a position to contend as soon as next season. However, none of these teams as crazy as it sounds are the biggest winners in the transaction, rather it is the Los Angeles Lakers and Lebron James. Let’s take a look and analyze how this trade puts the Los Angeles Lakers in a position to build a better roster right now and how Lebron James can end his career as the greatest player of all time potentially.
With this trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers, not only did the Cavaliers put themselves in a position to contend for the future but they also opened the door for the Los Angeles Lakers to improve their roster. The Utah Jazz are in a rebuilding phase which means that they are looking to move all of their “win now” veterans that can help the Lakers compete for a championship. The Lakers have been set on trading former MVP Russell Westbrook all offseason and now they can get the perfect trade package that would send Westbrook to Utah. Players such as Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Rudy Gay are all players that the Lakers could get in a trade package for Russell Westbrook and a few first-round picks. The Lakers have already traded Talen Horten Tucker to the Jazz for Patrick Beverly who upgrades their defense significantly and now they have an opportunity to get three more players who can provide the spark they need offensively. In particular, all three players can provide floor spacing and great free throw shooting which is what Lebron and the Lakers need if they want to contend for a title next season. In addition to this news for the Lakers, it has been reported that whatever team Lebron’s eldest son Bronny James gets drafted to, that is where Lebron will sign after he becomes a free agent after the 2023-2024 NBA season. The Cavaliers have an all-star caliber player at every position except small forward where Lebron can fit seamlessly if the Cavaliers draft Bronny with their 2024 first-round pick which they were able to keep in the Donovan Mitchell trade. All of the pieces are lining up perfectly for this to happen and both situations right now and in the future are great for Lebron to potentially add to his legacy and officially make him the greatest NBA player of all time.