Whose trade was better value? Minnesota Timberwolves or Cavaliers?

The Minnesota Timberwolves have some competition in the field of 2022 NBA blockbuster trades. After the Utah Jazz secured a handsome package of loot for All-Star NBA center Rudy Gobert from the Timberwolves front office, the Jazz finally found an NBA team willing to give nearly as much for All-Star NBA guard Donovan Mitchell. Despite all of the rumors and rhetoric to the contrary, that team was the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Now, the question is, which team has made the better deal?

Trade 1

To recap, the Minnesota Timberwolves were the first team to execute a blockbuster trade, and it looked like this:

That amounts to five players, four first-round draft picks, and one first-round draft pick swap. What makes this trade so intriguing is the fact that Gobert is a true upgrade, as the team will move former center Karl-Anthony Towns to the power-forward position.

Trade 2

The Utah Jazz, after negotiating with a number of NBA teams, finally settled up with the Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers trade looked like this:

That amounts to three players, three unprotected first-round draft picks and two first-round draft pick swaps. Now the question is: Who did a better blockbuster?

Cavaliers blockbuster trade

The Cavaliers are coming off a 44-38 season, competing in the play-in for a playoff berth, but failing to get past either the Brooklyn Nets or the Atlanta Hawks. While Mitchell certainly infuses plenty of hype into the Cavaliers roster, the team traded away two very promising young pieces.

Combo guard Collin Sexton (2018 NFL Draft, Round 1 Pick 8) and power forward Lauri Markkanen (2017 NFL Draft, Round 1 Pick 7) are not only young, but both players were among the top five scorers for the Cavaliers in the 2021-22 season, and both were soundly over the 10+ points per game threshold.

Finally, the Cavaliers will be paying for Mitchell with three unprotected first-round picks and two swaps, carrying them through the 2029 NBA Draft. His fit with the Cavaliers is both traditional, in that it focuses on a backcourt player with a better than 33 percent chance to sink a trey, but at a cost of a high volume shooter (20.5 shots per game versus Sexton’s 13.7 shots per game).

Sexton shot as well from the floor. Mitchell takes more shots.

Timberwolves blockbuster trade

On paper, the Timberwolves appear to have traded away more. Four first-round picks with only the final pick in 2019 with Top-5 protection, and one pick swap. But the key to the Timberwolves trade, the players included, are not nearly on par as those of the Cavaliers players.

Of the players traded away, only SG Malik Beasley fit a profile of 10+ points per game and was among the top five scorers on the roster. But he is a seasoned veteran who was not drafted by a lottery pick. In fact, none of the players sent to the Utah Jazz were.  Patrick Beverley has already been traded to the LA Lakers. Of the remaining group, there is a belief that Jarred Vanderbilt will prove to be a solid NBA player, but both Walker Kessler and Leandro Bolmaro are unknown.

The projected fit of Gobert on the Timberwolves roster is more than how many points will he score. His presence on the Timberwolves roster will serve to elevate the play of all other players on the court. That is something Mitchell does not bring to the Cavs.

Ultimately, the worth of each trade will be how the teams have improved their roster. The Cavaliers have certainly assembled a formidable backcourt duo of Mitchell and Darius Garland, but at the cost of weakening their front court.

The Timberwolves have a formidable frontcourt but at a cost of experience from their bench.

Who do you believe made the better blockbuster trade?