The Cleveland Cavaliers lost Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks despite holding a 22-point lead early in the fourth quarter. The Cavs, who are in their fourth season with Donovan Mitchell as their main man, have found consistent postseason success during his tenure without going past the finish line.
And well, before any potential trade chatter, a team source recently defended the trade with a simple statement, per ESPN.
“Four years without him, in the rebuild: one play-in game. Four years with him: four playoff appearances, three second-round appearances, a conference finals appearance,” the source said.
Of course, Mitchell has not only emerged as one of the best young offensive stars during his tenure with the Cavs, it has also come alongside consistent postseason runs. The Cavs traded for Mitchell back in September 2022 for the likes of Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji, three first-round picks, and two pick swaps.
Cleveland spent years searching for stability after LeBron James left in 2018, going 60-159 across the next three seasons while cycling through consistent roster changes. However, they have since found stability with Mitchell as the leading man.
Without Mitchell during Cleveland’s rebuilding years, the organization reached only one play-in tournament appearance. Since adding him, Cleveland has made four playoff appearances, advanced to three Eastern Conference semifinals and reached the Eastern Conference Finals this year.
During this time, he has broken multiple franchise records, earning four straight All-Star appearances without necessarily having the team around him to launch a genuine title challenge. Mitchell has now made the playoffs in all nine NBA seasons of his career, and while a genuine title challenge may still only be in the works, no one can deny the impact he has made with the Cavs.
For now of course, he will be fully focused on orchestrating a comeback against the Knicks.