“I don’t know what the response will be. I hope it’s cheers,” Mitchell said in the locker room when asked about returning to Utah following Cleveland’s 112-98 win over Phoenix on Sunday night. “We did a lot of great things there.'
Originally selected by the Denver Nuggets with No. 13 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft and then sent to the Jazz in a draft-night deal, Mitchell helped deliver the franchise some of its best years in nearly two decades. Mitchell became a three-time All-Star and led the Jazz to the playoffs in each of his five seasons, finishing with the Western Conference’s best record twice. He ranks top 10 in points, field goals and 3-pointers. He made NBA All-Rookie. Was the Slam Dunk Contest champion.
“It should be a standing ovation,” Garland told cleveland.com. “All the work he put in out there and all the things he did for the city -- playoff appearances, All-Star appearances, many wins -- I expect the best ovation. Hopefully.” It’s hard to know what awaits. On one hand, Mitchell was the franchise face for a half-decade, and it wasn’t his choice to leave. There was no official trade demand. No made-for-TV special to announce his free agency departure like one of Mitchell’s idols, LeBron James. The Utah front office felt the core group had already reached its zenith and it was time to build a new foundation, leading to Royce O’Neale, Rudy Gobert and Mitchell being traded during a transformative offseason.
Even though Mitchell also left his mark on the community with an abundance of charitable work, some of his recent inflammatory comments about the city and fan base makes predicting the reaction a bit thornier.ahead of Cleveland’s home game versus the Jazz on Dec. 19, Mitchell opened up about some of the racial issues he experienced while living in predominantly white Salt Lake City. He used the term “draining” and said he was “hurt” by the response after speaking out on social injustice.
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