"He's not Kevin Durant good, he's not Anthony Davis good - but he's f**king very good!" - NBA analyst on prospect of Donovan Mitchell to New York Knicks, calls him a "future Hall Of Famer" before the Cavs trade
Donovan Mitchell will be dressed in a Cleveland Cavaliers jersey this season. The former Utah Jazz guard's trade to the Cavs was reportedly accepted on Thursday.
But before that trade went down, NBA analyst Richard Jefferson cautioned about giving up multiple draft picks to land Mitchell.
The New York Knicks, who were considered the favorites to acquire the three-time All-Star from the start, never closed the deal with Utah. On the "Road Trippin'" podcast, Jefferson discussed how much New York should offer for Mitchell, who Jefferson thinks has Hall of Fame potential.
"Get Donovan Mitchell. ... You can give up too much draft picks in my opinion. ... You don't want to give up all your draft capital," Jefferson said. "He's not that good. He's not Kevin Durant good. He's not Anthony Davis good.
"No, but he is fucking very good. He is a potential Hall of Famer good. He's already a three-time All-Star. Let him start getting up there to that seven-, eight-, nine-time All-Star. He's that marketable. He's that good.
"He's that consistent, so, like, you're talking about trading for a possible future Hall of Famer."
Donovan Mitchell goes to the Cleveland Cavaliers
The Donovan Mitchell trade saga has finally come to an end as the Utah Jazz guard has reportedly been acquired by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The trade will see the Jazz get Lauri Markkanen, Colin Sexton, Ochair Agbaji, three unprotected first-round picks and two pick swaps in return.
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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.
The New York Knicks were the favorites to sign Mitchell, but the Cavs beat them to him. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Jazz rejected the Knicks' offer of RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson, Obi Toppin and three unprotected first-round picks.
"At the start of trade talks in July, New York offered Utah a Donovan Mitchell package including RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin, Mitchell Robinson and three unprotected first-round picks, sources tell ESPN," Wojnarowski tweeted. "Jazz turned down that offer and Robinson signed a $60M extension to stay w/ NY."
Jefferson said Mitchell could be a good fit for the Cavaliers. He liked a backcourt of Darius Garland and Mitchell. Garland, a three-year veteran, made his first All-Star team last season. Plus, power forward Evan Mobley was a strong contender for Rookie of the Year last season.
"Darius is a playmaker, and he can shoot. ... I think it would work, but I don't think that's going to happen. ... You'd have to give up (Evan) Mobley, or they would ask for something along those lines, and you ain't doing that s**t. You ain't giving up Mobley for nada."