Yes, it’s true, the Jazz wanted a whopping six picks from the New York Knicks. Instead, they got three unprotected firsts from Cleveland that will presumably be well outside the draft lottery. They did manage to snag 14th overall pick Ochai Agbaji, however.
In his senior year at Kansas, he led them to an NCAA title with 19 points and five rebounds on average. He also shot 40% from deep. His defense was solid, and he finished his college career as the Big 12 Player of the Year, the Tournament MOP, and a consensus All-American. If you ask me, he was a steal at 14 and the Cavs should not have let him go.
Like any rookie, he will have a bit of a learning curve as he transitions to the NBA, but his Summer League performance suggests he is as ready as a player can be to make the leap.
In four Summer League games, he averaged 15 points, 4.75 rebounds, over one steal, and shot 37% from the deeper NBA three-point line.
Will he be in front of Clarkson or Sexton on the depth chart? Nope. In fact, he may even be behind Malik Beasley and Jared Butler, but by 2024, he will be a solid starting guard on an absolutely loaded team. The Jazz stole Walker Kessler from the Wolves, and they did it again with Agbaji.
acquired the superstar</a> for a package of Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji, three picks, and two pick swaps.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">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.</p>
<p>— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/09/02/three-reasons-utah-jazz-won-donovan-mitchell-trade/2/"https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1565424787446439941?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>September 1, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Suffice it to say, Utah are the clear winner of this trade. The Cavs get their third All-Star, which makes them a major force, but the Jazz are set for the future. With more draft capital than they know what to do with and steps in place to acquire even more young talent, it’s safe to say that the Utah Jazz have won the trade and will be a fun team to watch with a clear path moving forward.</p>
<h2>Utah Jazz: Hometown team clearly wins the Mitchell trade</h2>
<p>Most rebuilding teams are without any semblance of identity and don’t play fun basketball. The Jazz will manage to have both. For starters, Sexton, Markkanen, Vanderbilt, THT, and Walker Kessler can all be electrifying talents on the court. On top of that, with a loaded draft on the way, Utah could easily find a star to build their roster around. The Jazz wanted six picks for Mitchell and fell short of that, but they still run away with this trade.</p>
<p>In this part of our debate series, I take the stance that the Jazz won the trade. I will explore three key reasons that validate my belief that Utah will be better in the long term because of this deal.</p>
<h3>
Sexton and Markkanen are here to stay</h3>
<p>In three full seasons and 11 additional games before suffering a meniscus tear,<a href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/09/02/three-reasons-utah-jazz-won-donovan-mitchell-trade/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/sextoco01.html" ref="nofollow"> Collin Sexton</a> has solidified himself as an excellent scorer. When healthy, he is a 38% shooter from deep and can easily average 20 points.</p>
<p>Sexton has never really been the first option, and in Utah, he will fit in perfectly with the committee offense. His defense is fine, and although he is turnover prone, he is a more efficient version of Donovan Mitchell, but he has less volume-scoring capabilities.</p>
<p><a href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/09/02/three-reasons-utah-jazz-won-donovan-mitchell-trade/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/markkla01.html" ref="nofollow">Lauri Markkanen</a> had a red-hot first two seasons in Chicago and was one of the league’s brightest stars, being named to the <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/09/02/three-reasons-utah-jazz-won-donovan-mitchell-trade/2/"https://fansided.com/nba/25-under-25/?tab=2021%22>top 25 players under 25 in 2018 and ‘19</a>. As an oversized wing, he can knock down shots from deep and bang around in the paint on defense, making him a lethal weapon alongside Bojan Bogdanocivh as a catch-and-shoot threat.</p>
<p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs8C5HzZIfk</p>
<p>Markkanen has three seasons left on his deal, and Sexton <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/09/02/three-reasons-utah-jazz-won-donovan-mitchell-trade/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2022/09/01/new-utah-jazz-guard-signs-four-year-deal/">just signed a $70 million, four-year deal to stay in Utah</a>.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sexton’s new $72M deal is fully guaranteed, sources said. <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/09/02/three-reasons-utah-jazz-won-donovan-mitchell-trade/2/"https://t.co/V0w6X7WVM2">https://t.co/V0w6X7WVM2
<p>— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/09/02/three-reasons-utah-jazz-won-donovan-mitchell-trade/2/"https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1565425569914884098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>September 1, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Both players are younger than Donovan Mitchell and would make amazing second and third options if the Jazz can find a superstar in the draft lottery next season.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/09/02/three-reasons-utah-jazz-won-donovan-mitchell-trade/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The Jazz have an exciting rookie </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-89719" src=https://thejnotes.com/2022/09/02/three-reasons-utah-jazz-won-donovan-mitchell-trade/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2132,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1389612148.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2132" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1389612148.jpeg 3200w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1389612148-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – APRIL 04: Ochai Agbaji #30 of the Kansas Jayhawks cuts down the net after defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels 72-69 during the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament National Championship at Caesars Superdome on April 04, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>
Ochai Agbaji can be the real deal</h3>
<p>Yes, it’s true, the Jazz wanted a whopping six picks from the New York Knicks. Instead, they got three unprotected firsts from Cleveland that will presumably be well outside the draft lottery. They did manage to snag 14th overall pick <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/09/02/three-reasons-utah-jazz-won-donovan-mitchell-trade/2/"https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Ochai-Agbaji/Summary/130970">Ochai Agbaji</a>, however.</p>
<p>In his senior year at Kansas, he led them to an NCAA title with 19 points and five rebounds on average. He also shot 40% from deep. His defense was solid, and he finished his college career as the Big 12 Player of the Year, the Tournament MOP, and a consensus All-American. If you ask me, he was a steal at 14 and the Cavs should not have let him go.</p>
<div class="embed embed-video"><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src=https://thejnotes.com/2022/09/02/three-reasons-utah-jazz-won-donovan-mitchell-trade/2/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/PN-wrIvTiCA?feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen title="Ochai Agbaji 2022 NCAA tournament highlights"></iframe></div>
<p>Like any rookie, he will have a bit of a learning curve as he transitions to the NBA, but his Summer League performance suggests he is as ready as a player can be to make the leap.</p>
<p>In four Summer League games, he averaged 15 points, 4.75 rebounds, over one steal, and shot 37% from the deeper NBA three-point line.</p>
<p>Will he be in front of Clarkson or Sexton on the depth chart? Nope. In fact, he may even be behind Malik Beasley and Jared Butler, but by 2024, he will be a solid starting guard on an absolutely loaded team. The Jazz stole Walker Kessler from the Wolves, and they did it again with Agbaji.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/09/02/three-reasons-utah-jazz-won-donovan-mitchell-trade/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The Jazz have endless picks </a>
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14 total first-round draft picks</a>. That is absolute insanity. In some seasons (2023, 2025, 2027) they have three picks, which could be packaged in a trade so they can move up in the draft and get their guy.</p>
<p>The Jazz have a solid young core in Sexton, Markkanen, Agbaji, Butler, and the recent acquisitions from the Timberwolves. They are missing a superstar, although reasons stand that <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/09/02/three-reasons-utah-jazz-won-donovan-mitchell-trade/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2022/08/23/what-2023-draft-prospects-should-the-utah-jazz-tank-for/">they’ll find one very, very soon</a> and first-year head coach Will Hardy can develop the franchise savior as he sees fit.</p>
<p>The Thunder, Wizards, Pistons, Spurs, and Rockets have all gone through or are going through similar rebuilds, but they went from top-tier teams to middling teams, to cellar dwellers over the span of years. The Jazz were bonafide contenders up until last season, and by 2023 they could have a solid cast and a rookie like Victor Wembanyama or Scoot Henderson to put them over the top.</p>
<p>Basically, they could start and finish a rebuild before teams with a head start even make the playoffs again.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Did the Jazz win the Rudy Gobert trade" data-url="https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/02/utah-jazz-win-rudy-gobert-trade/" data-call-to-action="Next"
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<p>With 14 picks as of now, the Jazz could keep moving. Beasly, Clarkson, Conley, and Bogdanovic could all be on the trade block, and that number could go up. Three picks are less than what the Jazz asked for, but with two swaps and those three picks, Utah controls Cleveland’s draft approach for the next five seasons. Six picks would have been better, sure, but those would have had a lot of protections and may have eventually slid to the second round. Utah currently has more picks than anyone else, and there is no reason they cannot add to their pile.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">