CLEVELAND — Shortly after news that Donovan Mitchell had been traded from the Utah Jazz to the Cleveland Cavaliers first broke, ESPN's Brian Windhorst told ESPN Cleveland that the three-time All-Star was at a golf course when the deal went down.
Per Windhorst, Mitchell proceeded to excitedly run around, celebrating the news that he had not only been traded to Cleveland, but that the Cavs were able to keep Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley and Kevin Love when making the deal.
Speaking at his introductory press conference on Wednesday, the 26-year-old guard confirmed that the story was true.
"When I first found out, I was golfing. So that report is true," Mitchell said. "I was running around crazy, mainly after the fact when I found out who we kept in the deal because I didn't know who was in the trade. I just knew I was traded. When I found out we kept D.G. and J.A. and 'Ev and Caris [LeVert], I was just like, 'Wow, we've got a talented group.'"
Mitchell went on to note that the Cavs spent a good portion of last season in the top half of the Eastern Conference playoff picture before injuries helped derail Cleveland's postseason push. The Cavs wound up finishing the regular season in eighth place in the conference before losing to the Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks in the play-in tournament.
But in acquiring Mitchell, Cleveland has added one of the league's best young players to a core that includes a pair of 2022 All-Star selections in Garland and Allen, as well as a unanimous NBA All-Rookie first-team selection in Mobley. All things considered, the Cavs now lay claim to one of the most promising young rosters in the NBA -- one that's certainly worth celebrating at a golf course over.
"That was before I got here," Mitchell said of Cleveland's success last season. "Now we can only look to do more and better and just continue to win and build. I'm truly excited just to be a part of this organization and be here in this city. To have fun playing basketball, playing with a group of guys who really want to win and really want to build.
"We're young, but we're hungry and we're ready."
You can watch Mitchell's full press conference in the video player below: