Donovan Mitchell will be running it back with the Cleveland Cavaliers next season. Spida ended speculation that he wanted to play in a big market by re-signing with the Cavs last month.
Mitchell led the Cavs to their first playoff series win in the post-LeBron era this past season, and although the eventual champions Celtics eliminated them, big things are expected of the Cavaliers next season, especially with Spida back.
Looking forward, Donovan revealed which team Cleveland would face if they make it all the way to the 2025 NBA Finals.
"I would say it's probably gonna be Minnesota or OKC. I think Minnesota, they're some dogs. I think they figured it out too about themselves," said Mitchell via Million Dollaz Worth Of Game. "They made some trades and made some different acquisitions and all that, but they figured it out."
Minnesota made it to the WCF last season
The Timberwolves were once heavily criticized after trading for Rudy Gobert while already having a seven-footer in Karl Anthony-Towns. However, they made it work last season, finishing just one game behind the OKC Thunder and Denver Nuggets atop the Western Conference.
Behind emerging superstar Anthony Edwards, Minnesota eliminated and dethroned the defending champions Nuggets in the second round of the 2024 Playoffs before losing to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. With the Wolves returning the core of that squad, they should be among the favorites to top the West next season. And then there is, of course, OKC.
"OKC adding Alex Caruso," added Mitchell. " I don't think people really understand what that does for that lineup. You've already got Wallace over there, you've got Lu Dort, Shai's not a bad defender himself. You add Alex Caruso to that lineup."
Related: Oscar Schmidt shares how beating Team USA after a miraculous 35-point second-half performance was ‘the best part of his life’
Acquiring Caruso is like Boston getting Jrue
Mitchell thinks Alex Caruso makes the Thunder an elite defensive team. With the firepower they already have, Spida believes that the move transforms them from a playoff team to a legitimate title contender. Fox Sports analyst Keyshawn Johnson said it best when he proclaimed that OKC adding AC is just like Boston acquiring Jrue Holiday .
"You know what this move is, though? It's a Boston Celtics move," said Keyshawn. "This is what they did to get over the hump. The great thing about OKC is they didn't have to give up anything. It's just a straight trade. They've got all their 10,000 draft picks still in their back pocket to do whatever it is they need to do. Now you get a guy who is an All-NBA defensive player, and you get that. You get a guy, a 43% three-point shooter. Now he becomes a 3-and-D."
OKC and Minnesota are led by the two best young stars in the NBA today, SGA and Ant. They are surrounded by supporting casts assembled to help them succeed. After gaining much playoff experience last season, there's no doubt that the Wolves and Thunder are two of the teams to watch in the East, and it won't be a surprise if either wins the West next year.
Related: Colin Cowherd says the Thunder are "a younger, cheaper, and less talented version of the Celtics"
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