In the summer of 2022, it seemed fait accompli that the New York Knicks were going to trade for Donovan Mitchell. The Utah Jazz had already moved Rudy Gobert and Royce O’Neale, and the Knicks had a large chest of assets, so the connection made sense and seemed merely a question of when, not if.
Then the Cleveland Cavaliers leaped in and stole Mitchell away from the Knicks, offering a package large enough to entice the Jazz to pull the trigger. The result was a 51-win season and plenty of good feelings around Mitchell and the Cavs.