Cavaliers Remove Themselves From Donovan Mitchell Race, Knicks Remains Strongest Candidates To Land Him

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The Cleveland Cavaliers are no longer trying to add Donovan Mitchell to their roster after being unable to meet Utah Jazz's demands or even match the offer presented by the New York Knicks. The Cavs have an interesting young group of players that made it to the play-in tournament last season, showing flashes of what they could do in the future. 

Adding Mitchell would have taken them to the next level, but given the Jazz's hefty asking price, the Cavs have decided to step down from this race and move on with their current roster, trying to improve what they did last season. In recent days, reports suggested that Mitchell is favoring a move to the Knicks, Nets, or Heat, which made things harder for the Cavs. 

Ian Begley of SNY reports that the Cavaliers have decided to abandon this race, leaving the door open for the Knicks to snatch Mitchell away from Utah. 

Cleveland Cavaliers have removed themselves from Donovan Mitchell trade talks, per SNY sources. Doesn’t seem like there are any suitors at moment who can approach what Knicks can offer Utah - even if you take RJ Barrett off the table. So this trade is still NYK’s to lose.

It's worth noting that Mitchell hasn't requested a trade from the Jazz, but in the case that the team pushes for his exit, the three aforementioned teams have the upper hand. The Knicks have been heavily linked with a move for the player, but so far, nothing has happened.

Meanwhile, the Cavs will run it back with this squad, trying to make some noise in the stacked Eastern Conference. Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and co. are set to take this team to the next level, which is why Cleveland fans shouldn't be worried about their team not landing Mitchell.