How the Donovan Mitchell trade impacts OKC Thunder
By Rylan Stiles
The NBA Season is right around the corner, as the calendar turns to September, media days around the league will tip off this month with select preseason games taking place on September 30th. The NBA news cycle is picking up, and a lot of the latest developments have impacted the OKC Thunder.
The Thunder organization has lost their 2022 second overall pick, Chet Holmgren, for the entire 2022-23 NBA season with a right foot injury that will surely alter the regular season for OKC. That of course takes some wind out of the sails of Oklahoma City fans ahead of the October 19th season opener, but there are still a lot of exciting pieces on this team led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The NBA saw a blockbuster move yesterday that sent Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a move that was centered around three unprotected draft picks, Colin Sexton, and Ochai Agbaji who was selected 14th overall back in July. This move not only shakes up the Cleveland Cavaliers but has an impact on the OKC Thunder this season.
Donovan Mitchell traded to Cleveland impacts OKC Thunder in a big way. Jazz joins the race for the bottom and another All-Star exit the conference opening the door for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The Cleveland Cavaliers just got a lot more fun as a team centered around All-Stars Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell, future star Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen they can make a lot of noise in the Eastern Conference, even hosting a first-round playoff series. On the flip side, the Utah Jazz quickly join the race for the bottom in a loaded 2023 NBA Draft.
How does this move by the Cleveland Cavaliers and Utah Jazz impact the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 2022-23 season, and beyond?