We’re almost a full week out from one of the boldest and most unexpected moves of the 2022 NBA offseason, when the Cleveland Cavaliers made a deal to acquire Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz. Reigniting a dying flame within the 216 and instantly placing the Cavs near the top of the Eastern Conference.
The craziest part is that at one point in time, the New York Knicks were frontrunners to land the three-time All-Star, offering up a trade package that included RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin, Mitchell Robinson, and three unprotected first-round picks.
Then, there were rumors that the Miami Heat were the perceived favorites, heck, at one point, the Hornets and Wizards had a chance also. Yet, he ended up in Cleveland, Ohio of all places.
Despite being widely considered as outsiders to land the dynamic playmaker for the majority of the offseason, the Cavs swooped in at the last second and put together a package the Jazz couldn’t refuse. Sending guard Colling Sexton, forward Lauri Markkanen and rookie guard Ochai Agbaji to Utah along with three future first-round picks and two pick swaps.
Now that the dust has settled, it’s hard to deny that Cleveland didn’t raise their profile in a competitive Eastern Conference. With a young core of Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, the Cavs appear primed to compete for the next few years.
However, now the question becomes what does this mean for the Denver Nuggets? Now that the team’s biggest threat within the division has lost not one but two of their franchise players.
How does the Donovan Mitchell trade affect the Denver Nuggets?
Last season, the only team that won more regular season games than the Denver Nuggets in the Northwest Division was the Utah Jazz. However, now that both Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert are gone, I believe the Jazz are left with a roster that will struggle to even make the play-in tournament next year.
This is fantastic news for the Denver Nuggets as it completely eliminates the one team that’s been the most perceivable threat to the franchise for the last few years.
Obviously, with OKC drafting Chet Holmgren, Portland trading for Jerami Grant, and the Timberwolves reeling in Gobert, the rest of the division has improved drastically as well. Although, removing the one team that’s stood in Denver’s way in recent years is certainly a major advantage.
Even though there isn’t as much conversation over the division alignment in the NBA as there is with the NFL or MLB. It’s still a major factor in scheduling and predictions regarding how each team will fair towards the end of the regular season.
In an 82-game season, every team in the NBA plays the other teams within their division four times throughout the regular season. This means that the Nuggets will tip-off against the Jazz, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, and Thunder four times each, which comes out to 16 games total. While this might not seem like a lot in the scheme of things, it makes up for nearly 20% of the regular season contests.
This essentially means that if you can beat out your division, you’re likely to have a pretty successful season. So, now that Donovan Mitchell isn’t just out of the division but out of the Western Conference entirely, the Denver Nuggets will only have to worry about playing Mitchell twice in 2023, first on January 6th and then again on February 23rd.
With Danny Ainge so desperate to acquire future first-round draft picks, it’s evident that the Utah Jazz are headed into a full-blown rebuild. While they will still have some solid pieces to build around moving forward, like Sexton and Markkanen. It’s safe to say they will struggle going up against a stacked Western Conference next season.
The result? Well, this should equal more wins for the Denver Nuggets and fewer wins for the Utah Jazz, which will also help the Nuggets towards the end of the season.
Now that the Utah Jazz are no longer a concern, the only team Denver has to worry about is the Minnesota Timberwolves with Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, and D’Angelo Russell. Although, as we have yet to see the tandem of Gobert and Towns play together, it feels like the Denver Nuggets are still the team to beat in the Northwest Division.
I’d say if there’s anybody that benefited from the recent trade aside from the two teams involved, it’s the Denver Nuggets.