The road to the 2023 NBA Finals through the Eastern Conference was already going to be quite difficult, and that path became even more challenging Thursday.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired point guard Donovan Mitchell in a trade with the Utah Jazz, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
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The Cavaliers took a huge step forward in their development last season. Cleveland had the East's third-worst record in 2020-21 and made the play-in tournament in 2021-22. No. 2 overall draft pick Evan Mobley is on track to be a star, and so is 2019 No. 5 overall pick Darius Garland. Jarrett Allen had an All-Star caliber 2021-22 campaign and is an elite defensive center.
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Now the Cavs have added a legit star in Mitchell to form an impressive young core loaded with offensive talent. The Cavaliers scored the fourth-fewest points in the East last season. They should be much more potent offensively with Mitchell in the fold. He has scored 24-plus points per game in three consecutive years.
An improved Cavaliers squad gives the East at least nine good teams.
The defending East champion Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks are the class of the conference. The Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets are in the next tier, followed by the Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls and Cavs.
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Seeding will be crucial for the top teams in the conference. The possibility of facing a Mitchell-Garland-Mobley trio in the first round isn't an enticing scenario for the Celtics, Bucks and Heat. Mitchell has averaged 26.4 points in 10 career games against the Celtics.
Boston's road back to the Finals already was shaping up to be grueling. The Mitchell trade adds another layer of difficulty. The West was the superior conference for much of the 2000s and 2010s. That trend appears to be flipping in a profound way in the 2020s.