CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to acquire All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell in a blockbuster trade with the Utah Jazz, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Thursday.
Cleveland is sending guard Collin Sexton, forward Lauri Markkanen and rookie guard Ochai Agbaji along with three unprotected first-round picks to the Jazz, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the NBA still has to approve the trade.
ESPN was the first to report Mitchell’s exit from Utah.
The 25-year-old Mitchell is one of the league’s elite scorers and his acquisition could put the Cavs, who won 44 games last season with a young nucleus, among the top teams in the loaded Eastern Conference.
Mitchell, who averaged 25.9 points per game last season, will pair with All-Star point guard Darius Garland and he’ll play along with All-Star center Jarett Allen and forward Evan Mobley, who had a strong rookie season.
Sexton missed last season with a knee injury and was a restricted free agent. He’s a proven scorer but he became expendable for Cleveland due to Garland’s development and the club’s talented frontline.
This is the second major trade during the offseason for Utah, which started its rebuild in July when the club traded All-Star center Rudy Gobert to Minnesota.
