Grading Cavaliers-Jazz deal centered around Donovan Mitchell

After an entire summer of rumors and speculation, the Donovan Mitchell era in Salt Lake City is over.

The Utah Jazz traded Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday for a hefty package that included Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen and a handful of future draft picks.

We’ll offer our instant grade of the deal below.

Cleveland Cavaliers: B+

The Cavs paid a big price to acquire the three-time All-Star, but those draft picks won’t matter if the team emerges as a serious threat in the East. A backcourt of Mitchell and Garland will be explosive and fun to watch, albeit a defensive liability at times.

After making the play-in tournament last year, Cleveland is clearly trying to level up in an increasingly more competitive Eastern Conference. A starting lineup that includes Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, and Mitchell is a good place to start.

Utah Jazz: B-

Trading away a three-time All-Star is never a move that will make your team better. However, this move further moves along the the Jazz’s rebuild and they were able to stockpile even more draft assets along with the ones they acquired in the Rudy Gobert trade.

If you are going to blow everything up, then getting a pair of solid starters like Collin Sexton and Lauri Markkanen isn’t a bad consolation prize. At the same time, you get to sit back and see what you can get out of a rookie prospect like Ochai Agbaji, which is essentially like getting another draft pick in the deal.