With barely a month into the 2022-23 NBA season, all fans have started thinking about making big declarations. However, before making any proclamations, it would help to review the biggest trades from the NBA offseason to find out how teams are fairing after playing a few games. Some of the teams are happy, while others are not so happy!
Mitchell has seamlessly fitted into Cleveland. Those concerned about how he would fit alongside high-usage combo guard Darius Garland got their answers almost immediately. Moreover, Mitchell could be the piece that puts the Cavs over the championship edge.
The Cavs now boast of a balanced defense and offense, making them look part of title contenders. Those who wager on NBA events on Pinnacle online betting will be monitoring them closely because they have the talent to feature at the top of the East for the foreseeable future. Their off-season trades seem to have paid off perfectly.
On the other hand, Utah Jazz seem to have moved on from Mitchell. They received a few promising young players and three first-rounders in Mitchell’s place. Furthermore, Utah Jazz received Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbai, and Lauri Markkanen. They also received three first-round picks and two pick swaps.
The Wolves built on their 2021-22 surprising season by trading their whole future for Gobert. Their all-in move doesn’t seem to have worked as it did the Cavs. So far, their offseason trades have yielded a record and NBA net rating worse than last year’s. While Gobert’s numbers are decent, the fit has been awkward.
Minnesota’s line-up has not worked, with Karl-Anthony and Gobert having a net rating of -3.4 in the 227 minutes they have played together. Also, Gobert has not established a connection with Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell based on his 64.0% shooting percentage, which is way below his league-leading mark of 73.2% he registered last season.
While it was necessary for Atlanta to find a defensively-talented backcourt partner for Trae Young, they will surely miss their future first-round picks. Murray is the main reason the Hawks’ defense has improved from 26th last season to eighth this season. If they can keep that up, their trade might be worth it.
San Antonio Spurs were the recipients of the future first-round picks, but they are clearly missing Murray. However, they managed to swap a player who did not fit their long-term goals with multiple first-round picks. They also got a better shot at Victor Wembanyama.