The Jazz trading Donovan Mitchell to the Cavaliers caught the NBA off guard. Rumors of the Cavaliers’ interest had circulated, but sources had told NBC Sports (and others reported as well) that the Knicks remained the clear frontrunners.
In the wake of the surprise trade, a lot of speculation — and finger-pointing — took place, dissecting what led to Mitchell ending up in wine and gold. One theory is that the Jazz front office, frustrated with the Knicks executives over things such as showing up to their playoff game, took a lesser offer from the Cavaliers out of spite.