The Cleveland Cavaliers pushed their chips to the center of the table last offseason to trade for Donovan Mitchell and it paid off.
At least of the regular season.
Cleveland made its first playoff appearance without LeBron James on the roster since 1998, as Darius Garland continued his star turn and Mitchell made his first All-NBA team. The Cavs closed with a strong 51-31 record and held homecourt advantage in their first-round series against the New York Knicks.
Ultimately, it didn't matter much. The Knicks made light work of the Cavs in a five-game beatdown and sent Cleveland's front office back to the drawing board to fortify the roster.