CLEVELAND – As Donovan Mitchell stepped off the plane Wednesday morning, donning a Cleveland Cavaliers hoodie and Cleveland Browns hat, he knew there would be some fans waiting to welcome him. What he wasn’t expecting was a crowd of people in the hangar anticipating his arrival.
His welcome party continued as he arrived at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Clevelanders erupted in cheers and pulled out their phones to commemorate the moment.
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“It blew me away,” Mitchell said. “It’s still blowing me away, looking at the sea of people here. It makes you feel appreciated. The biggest thing is you want to give your heart and soul to people that show up for you, especially getting here at 9 o’clock this morning, which means them getting up at 7:30 or 8. That in itself, things like that really go a long way, and I truly appreciate that because night in and night out, we’re going to be up working and continuing to fight for this city and bring this city another championship.”
Welcome to Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell.
a picture-perfect welcome 📸 pic.twitter.com/wwgyXswKU6
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) September 14, 2022
On Wednesday, the Cavaliers introduced the three-time All-Star and newest member of their team. Inside the glass atrium, Mitchell sat in between president of basketball operations Koby Altman and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
Altman called the Mitchell acquisition “one of the biggest trades in franchise history.” It was one the Cavaliers were able to pull off because they continued to hang around during Mitchell trade talks. Altman has a close relationship with Utah Jazz general manager Justin Zanik, and after the Jazz pivoted from their talks with the New York Knicks, Cleveland was there waiting.
Mitchell was out golfing two weeks ago when he heard from his agent, Austin Brown, that he was being traded to Cleveland. When he learned that Garland, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert weren’t part of the deal, Mitchell said he was “running around crazy.”
Following the trade, Mitchell tweeted a picture of himself in a Cavs jersey from when he was about five or six years old. He explained that he became a fan of Cleveland because of LeBron James.
“It’s crazy how life comes full circle,” Mitchell said.
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) September 1, 2022
“I’m truly excited just to be a part of this organization, to be here in the city, to have fun playing basketball playing with a group of guys who really want to win and really want to continue to build,” Mitchell said. “And we’re young, but we’re hungry. We’re ready. It’s weird saying I’m probably one of the older guys on the team. But like I said, we’re really excited.”
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That excitement was felt across the organization. After the trade, Altman said he called Garland – who sat in the front row of the news conference next to LeVert – and learned of his immediate enthusiasm in playing with Mitchell. That pair will make up Cleveland’s backcourt and have already started to build a connection. They spent time over the summer working out together.
“It’s funny, I told somebody this, Darius was like here, and we’re working out with people, and you’re looking here and thinking this is your destination, and it turns out it’s right here next to you. You’re not even looking,” Mitchell said. “I will say this, the two times we worked out, I consider myself a pretty good shooter, but he’s right there, if not better, and I’m trying to keep up with him, and I’m like, ‘Jesus, come on, here we go.’ He made me have to raise my level in a workout. If he can bring that out on a night in and night out basis, in workouts and practice, and you get to the game, and we’re now on the same team, you know it could be special.”
Bickerstaff described the trade for Mitchell as a “curveball.” The coaching staff already held their annual retreat, where they had established a plan for the season. That plan now has to be changed.
Bickerstaff and his coaching staff now envision a dynamic offense where they can put multiple threats on the floor in Garland, LeVert and Mitchell, as well as bigs like Mobley and Allen rolling or Kevin Love popping on the perimeter. Cleveland can put different combinations together to manipulate the game while playing with an up-tempo, ball-movement style.
Knowing the caliber of player Mitchell is and the competitive nature of his team, Bickerstaff believes Mitchell can take the Cavs to the next level. When Bickerstaff spoke with Mitchell, he passed along the same message he told Garland and LeVert: “You’ve got to be the best version of yourself.”
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Outside of Mitchell’s talent, both Altman and Bickerstaff reiterated the importance of having high-character players. In a conversation Bickerstaff had with one of Mitchell’s former assistant coaches, he was reassured that Mitchell will fit right into the culture they’ve built in Cleveland.
“We didn’t replace (Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen and Ochai Agbaji) with someone where – even as a human being first and foremost – we thought wouldn’t fit. When you don’t have to sacrifice people over talent, you give yourself an opportunity to build something special,” Bickerstaff said. “I had another conversation with him, and there was nothing negative that he had to say about him as a human being. To be able to add talent and character, we were extremely excited.”
Mitchell witnessed the team’s chemistry on display in their group workouts in Nashville, Tenn., recently. He saw the nature of how guys joke around with one another and laugh, but when they take the floor to work, they are focused.
“I think that from the outside looking in, being able to come into that situation, I’m a guy who is all about work when it’s time but also having a good time, whether it’s playing cards, playing Xbox,” Mitchell said. “Being around these guys throughout the summer, you see it on the TV screen; I watched the play-in game and watched them during the season, play against these guys, and see what they’re building and trying to build. […] To be a part of that and be seen as an addition is something I’m excited about.”
Amid the excitement, Altman laid out his expectations. He reiterated how Mitchell – who just turned 26 years old last week – fits the timeline of their other young guys like Garland (22), Mobley (21), Allen (24) and Isaac Okoro (21).
“There’s a runway here, and I don’t want anyone to think that this year, we have to be contention-or-bust,” Altman said. “That’s not what this is. This is a real runway here for these guys to grow together, learn how to play together, and get better each year and grow to hopefully some really exciting basketball.”
While the Cavs took an important leap last season, doubling their win total with 44 wins, they still missed out on the playoffs after losing in the Play-In Tournament. Mitchell’s addition gives Cleveland a higher chance of rising in the East and should have this desired effect of helping them reach the postseason. Mitchell’s 39 playoff games will also help given the rest of the teams’ postseason inexperience.
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“I know we’re going to have good months and good weeks and good days, and we’re going to have bad weeks and bad days,” Mitchell said. “But for us, if we continue to put the work in night in and night out and continue to put that effort in with the right plays, we might do something.”
They have the next three years of Mitchell’s contract to do so; he is under contract through the 2024-25 season, with a $37 million player option for the 2025-26 season. But Mitchell doesn’t think there’s any reason they should temper their expectations now.
“On paper, we look scary,” Mitchell said. “But at the end of the day, it comes down to what we do in the gym. It starts, like we had a good run today, and we’ve got to continue to have good work, so I can’t sit here and tell you, ‘Yes, we’re a championship team.’ We have to go out there and prove it every night.”
(Photo: Nick Cammett / Getty Images)
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