Cleveland Cavaliers acquiring Donovan Mitchell is proof they won the Kyrie Irving trade

Once again we have to debunk the notion the Cleveland Cavaliers “lost” the Kyrie Irving trade.

Leave it to a Barstool Sports personality to not get the depth and nuance of a trade. The Cleveland Cavaliers traded Kyrie Irving five years ago, and to this day people still don’t realize that this trade not only was a massive win for the Cavs but is fundamentally responsible for the current makeup of this team. So much so that Irving’s trade was directly responsible for the Cavs getting Donovan Mitchell.

Not directly, of course, but indirectly. If you follow the trade tree of Irving to the Boston Celtics, you can see that the Cavs ended up turning Irving into Mitchell, Ricky Rubio, and Jarrett Allen; all key pieces for this team’s present and future.

Not only that but guys like Collin Sexton, Larry Nance, and Dylan Windler were also acquired due to the Irving trade. So not only did Irving bring Mitchell to the Cavs through the Sexton-to-Utah trade, but the Irving trade also gave the Cavaliers the pieces and parts needed to spin players like Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, and others into various other assets, which were then turned into other assets until we got Mitchell in Cleveland.

Should the “trade tree” determine the success of a trade?

Personally, I think the trade tree matters. Irving got traded for Thomas, Crowder, the pick that became Sexton, Ante Zizic, and a second-round pick. Without Thomas, the Cavs can’t eventually trade for Jordan Clarkson or Larry Nance Jr. Clarkson would get shipped for Dante Exum, who would later be included in a future package alongside a Bucks’ first-round draft pick for Allen.

Without Crowder, the Cavs don’t get George Hill. Without Hill, the Cavs can’t trade for Buck’s first-round pick, which would then get swapped along with Exum for Allen. Allen arrived in Cleveland with Taurean Prince, who would then get swapped for Ricky Rubio. Crowder’s trade also helped the Cavs land Dylan Windler.

Without Nance, the Cavs can’t get Lauri Markkanen. Markannen and Sexton are then made the centerpiece of the trade that nets the Cavs Mitchell.

All in all, the Celtics have nothing to show from the Irving trade. Irving got traded and then left, leaving the Celtics holding an empty bag. The Cavs on the other hand turned Thomas, Crowder, and Sexton into  Mitchell, Allen, and Rubio.

So clearly, the Cavs won the Irving trade.