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The Cleveland Cavaliers have traded for all-star guard Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz for three players and three first-round draft picks, as per multiple reports on Thursday. The Cavs have sent guard Collin Sexton, forward Lauri Markkanen and rookie guard Ochai Agbaji are the players to Salt Lake City, according to multiple reports.
The Jazz will receive three unprotected first-round draft picks and two pick swaps. The trade of Mitchell who is a three-time All-Star officially kicks off a full-on rebuild project in Utah as they failed to reach the Western Conference finals in recent seasons with Mitchell and four-time Defensive player of the year Rudy Gobert on the roster.
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.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 1, 2022
Utah traded Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Leandro Bolmaro, Walker Kessler, Jarred Vanderbilt and a total of four first-round picks which includes an unprotected 2023 first-round pick, an unprotected 2025 first-round pick, an unprotected 2027 first-round pick and a top-five protected 2029 first-round pick.
But the first domino toward Utah Jazz’s rebuild fell when their long-term head coach Quin Snyder decided to part ways with the franchise on 6 June 2022. While addressing his goodbye, the former Spurs assistant coach thanked the organisation for their support over these years and stated that the right time had come to take this decision. He said, “I’d just like to thank Gail and the Miller family for giving me a chance when there wasn’t …” “I’m thankful for the opportunity.
“It was just time,” he said. “I tried to give voice to that and it really isn’t any more complicated than that as far as trying to look into a lot of different reasons. I just felt like I got to a place where it was done. “There’s a real sense of sadness and sorrow and loss,” Snyder said.
“That’s to be expected. I gave this everything I had. You try to be introspective and you try to analyze. But, this was a decision to where I just kept coming back to the same place. It was time for me to move on.”
