Donovan Mitchell left the Utah Jazz on relatively good terms, but it doesn't change the fact that the two parted ways because it had become abundantly clear they weren't going anywhere with him as their guy. The Cleveland Cavaliers have had Mitchell for the last four years, having learned pretty much the same lesson, and yet, rumor has it, they might run it back with their core.
Heavy Sports' Sean Deveney speculated that despite the Cavaliers' failure, they plan to run it back with their Mitchell-led core.
"The Cavaliers are insisting that they can pretty much run things back with their star quartet of Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. The math says otherwise, but it does appear that they will do what they can to bring back Mitchell," Deveney wrote.
Cleveland just went the farthest they have since landing Mitchell by reaching the Eastern Conference Finals. And yet, when it was all said and done, a championship for them feels about as far away as it did when the Jazz had Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. The New York Knicks didn't just beat them. They humiliated them.
The Cavaliers tried to make some changes, most notably swapping Darius Garland for Harden, and even so, same result. It's indicative of a team that solved a problem, but not the problem. And what's the problem?
Donovan Mitchell simply isn't your best player if you're trying to win a title. Once the Jazz realized this, Mitchell was on the first train out of Salt Lake City. Cleveland may avoid trying to do the same, but now they're approaching the exact same number of years Utah had Mitchell, and don't have much more to show for their efforts.
It's a mystery as to what the Cavaliers should do
Now, no one's advocating for the Cavaliers to trade Mitchell. That's what's important to consider here. He's still an excellent player, but it's clear he's not your No. 1. Rather than keeping this team intact after they just got flat-out embarrassed, they should be looking to see if they can put a No. 1 next to him.
Perhaps a Giannis Antetokounmpo-type would be great for them, but there's no telling if he would stay or if the Cavaliers would be willing to part with all that much.
Cleveland's not necessarily out of options at this point, but the option they are going with still hasn't gotten them anywhere. At least Utah confronted the elephant in the room when it was clear how far they would go with Mitchell. Cleveland will experience some success with Spida, but it couldn't be clearer right now how limited their ceiling truly is.
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