The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz in a trade, according to several leading NBA sources. The Jazz secured a sizeable return for the 25-year-old guard, although they didn’t get as much as they got for Rudy Gobert. The deal will dramatically alter the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ betting odds across several NBA futures markets.
Sources: The Cleveland Cavaliers are trading Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji, three first-round picks and two pick swaps to the Utah Jazz for Donovan Mitchell.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 1, 2022
Expect these numbers to fluctuate significantly between books over the next few days. But bettors looking for an edge in the immediate wake of the Mitchell trade should target these Cleveland Cavaliers markets and these betting odds.
2022-23 NBA Betting Odds: Cavaliers Picks & Predictions
Cavaliers to Win Eastern Conference | +2500 at Caesars
The Cleveland Cavaliers dropped from 30-1 to 15-1 at most books in the immediate wake of the Donovan Mitchell trade. Caesars still has this line available at 25-1, but don’t expect it to last forever.
Aside from the off-market nature of this line, the Cavaliers have a viable path to the top of the East. The Cavaliers were beating much of their Eastern Conference opposition without Collin Sexton last year. They’ll now add Mitchell to their backcourt alongside rising star Darius Garland and returning veteran Ricky Rubio. The Cavs were +12 and +9 in offensive rating when Garland and Rubio were on the floor, respectively. Mitchell, while a minus defender throughout his career, provides an offensive spark at shooting guard that the Cavaliers lacked. Cleveland often used wings Cedi Osman and Isaac Okoro at the position, an awkward fit for both players.
Losing Lauri Markkanen hurts, but the Cavaliers have enough size and depth to overcome his loss. Evan Mobley can defend anyone on the opposing side and still has enough size to cause problems in the paint. Jarrett Allen combines the skill set of a traditional big with the speed and awareness necessary to defend on the perimeter. Both Brook Lopez and Kevin Love provide fantastic depth for the two versatile bigs.
The Cavaliers have some solid wing talent as well. Caris LeVert and Cedi Osman are both capable shooters with the size to command respect on defense. Having Mitchell on the floor alongside Garland or Rubio should free up more open looks for both shooters. Former fifth-overall pick Isaac Okoro was also a net positive. The Cavaliers should keep him in the rotation after he played the third-most minutes for them last year.
Cleveland can match up against any Eastern Conference team with their current roster. Their lack of postseason experience may keep them out of the NBA Finals, but this number will be shorter than 25-1 come playoff time. Sharp bettors should split a unit or two between Cleveland’s odds to win the East and the over on their win total.
Cavaliers Over 45.5 Regular-Season Wins | -110 at FanDuel
This number re-opened at 46.5 at DraftKings and 48.5 at PointsBet. These markets offer immediate appeal for bettors looking for a middle, but the over is better in this situation. The Cavaliers won 44 regular-season games last season. They also played without Sexton and Rubio for most of the year. With Mitchell filling in for Sexton and Rubio returning, Cleveland could easily soar over this number.
Six teams won at least 46 games last year: Miami, Boston, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Toronto and Chicago. The current Cavaliers roster looks a lot better than what the Raptors and Bulls cleared this number with last season. Further, the Cavs didn’t destroy their bench to get Donovan Mitchell, so they should be well-equipped to handle most injuries that come their way.
