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The official meteorological end of summer is approaching. This weekend I felt a buzz in the air when I stepped outside and sighed, “Ahh, yes, basketball season is coming!” We’re almost there, everyone!
Back on Tuesday
How a small trade led to a big star in Cleveland
Did you know that Mo Williams and Jamario Moon led to Donovan Mitchell starring for the Cleveland Cavaliers? It’s true.
Back in February 2011, the Cavs traded Williams and Moon to the Clippers for what was left of Baron Davis and a 2011 first-round pick. That pick turned out to be the No. 1 pick in the lottery, and the Cavs got Kyrie Irving.
Irving played for the Cavs for six seasons, helping LeBron James return to The Land and win the NBA Championship in 2016. But Irving saw the writing on the wall. He seemed to know LeBron wasn’t going to stay behind in his 2018 free agency and wanted to test his newfound winning knowledge with his team.
Before the 2017-18 season, the Cavs traded Irving to the Boston Celtics for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Anto Zizic, a 2018 first-rounder and a 2020 second-rounder. Of those three players, Žižić played the most for the Cavs, recording 113 games in three seasons.
Thomas was moved before the 2018 trade deadline for Channing Frye and the first time for Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson.
Crowder was also moved in the big 2018 deadline deal that moved Rodney Hood and George Hill to Cleveland.
A big part of that original draw for Kyrie was the first of 2018. He came from Brooklyn, via the Celtics. It was the eighth pick in the 2018 lottery, and the Cavs selected Collin Sexton. And that helped lead the Cavs to Mitchell:
It’s unreal that the Cavs acquired Lauri Markkanen in 2021 for Nance and a 2023 second-round pick. The Bulls received Derrick Jones Jr. and the first to become Dailyn Swan this year. The Blazers received Nance. The Cavs ended up flipping Sexton, Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji, three picks and two trade picks for Mitchell.
Funnily enough, the Thomas-Crowder trade helped the Cavs acquire the players they eventually flipped to absorb Jarrett Allen’s contract in James Harden’s infamous three-team trade to Brooklyn in 2021. So moving Williams and Moon flipped the first domino, leading to 40 percent of Cleveland’s current starting lineup.
Moral of the story? No store is too small
Last 24
🏀 On the agenda. The NBA Board of Directors meets in New York. Among the big-ticket items: expansion, NBA Europe and the consequences of the Clippers penalty.
🇨🇦 Related to Canada. Speaking of the Clippers, the Kawhi-to-Toronto trade is officially official. Leonard is going to the Raptors.
👕 Fashion forward. What are some of the best NBA uniforms to make a comeback? Here’s a team-by-team breakdown.
🏀 A new role. Longtime Bulls forward Ty Gibson has retired — at least as a player. He joins the coaching staff of Chicago.
Only sisters
While watching the FIBA World Cup games last week, especially Team USA, I was struck by the number of players wearing their signature shoes. Captain Breanna Stewart and newcomers Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese wore red and white versions of their Pumas, Nikes and Reeboks.
Clyde Frazier was the first NBA player with a signature shoe when she was Puma Clyde published in 1973. Sheryl Swoopes, the first woman with a signature shoe, released the Air Swoopes in October 1995, nearly a year and a half before the inaugural WNBA season.
For decades, even after Swoopes’ sneaker debut, men’s hoop shoes were the most popular. Michael Jordan’s Jordan Brand shoes may be considered the gold standard of hoop shoes as casual fashion. Anthony Edwards and Ja Morant probably have the two most socially popular men’s basketball shoes right now.
But in the last five years, women’s basketball shoes have emerged alongside the popularity of the WNBA.
Players like A’ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu, Reese, and Stewart have some of the most popular hoop shoes right now. I see them at games, and not only on the court, fans are looking for as much merchandise as possible related to women’s basketball players and wearing everything they can get their hands on. And, of course, Fever star Clark has a signature shoe on the way.
Sport goes into fashion every day, and sneaker culture is an extension of basketball culture. Players not only want to show off their game, but they want it in men’s sneakers. It was really cool to see the women have a moment.
Stretch run
As W returns after two weeks Break for the FIBA World ChampionshipI met with The Athleticwomen’s hoops expert Annie Costabile to look ahead to the playoffs and awards season. This is the first part of our Q&A; the second part, which will look at the future of the league after this season, starts soon.
The WNBA regular season ends on September 24th and the playoffs begin on September 27th.
Annie, with just a few games left, the playground is set. Which playoff team is the most intriguing to you? What stands out about them?
Annie: The Minnesota Lynx are the most intriguing team to me, which might not be the most exciting answer considering they were the No. 1 team for most of the year. But the reason I’m included in this story is the history on the table for the Lynx. They have a chance to become the first team in league history to win five WNBA titles. To do it with Olivia Miles, who won over many with her style of play, but also with her aura off the court, is simply a special feeling.
That being said, I think Lynx and Miles looked more human at the FIBA World Cup break. So it won’t be an easy road to the finals.
Speaking of potential Rookie of the Year Miles, many people didn’t have her in their top three, and her talent seemed to surprise quite a few fans. Could you have predicted that she would be the favorite before the season started?
Annie: I said from the beginning that she should be the first choice. The way coaches and GMs described her IQ and court vision, plus her scoring ability and professional demeanor, I just thought that all-around skill set was so rare. However, I didn’t think she would be in the MVP conversation. I didn’t think she would have the Lynx at the top of the league without reigning MVP candidate Napheesa Collier. She exceeded all expectations.
We all know when the postseason starts, anything can happen. Which player can be a sleeper/X factor on playoff teams?
Annie: Hmm, good question. I think there are many different names I could use to answer this question, but the one that immediately jumps out is Leonie Fiebich. The New York Liberty had a bad season. They entered the year with title expectations and instead found themselves tied for sixth in the standings with just four games remaining in the regular season.
But when they are at their best, Fiebich is at his best. We saw that in their game against the Indiana Fever on August 22nd. I still think the Liberty can make a deep playoff run. Fiebich will have a big hand in it if they do.
Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell helped lead the franchise to its best year in more than a decade. Mitchell leads the Fever in scoring, averaging 25 points with 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals. She signed a one-year supermax of $1.4 million ahead of the 2026 season. Do you see Mitchell re-signing with the Fever or going elsewhere next year?
Annie: Kelsey has always been very open about the importance of playing near family. Hers is Cincinnati, which is less than two hours from Indianapolis. But at the end of the day, money talks and fever will have to figure a lot with Clark’s contract accelerators under the WNBA’s new EPIC provision. Aliyah Boston is set to get a supermax in 2027, which will tighten the Fever’s pockets even more.
I’m not saying any of that to say the Fever can’t pay Mitchell; they’ll just have to do some cap gymnastics to make it all work.
All that to say, it’s too early to speculate. My gut keeps churning between Fever realizing this and Mitchell leaving because they can’t.
Reigning league MVP A’ja Wilson withdrew from the USA World Cup team just days before the contest to rest. With the news came a lot of talk about Wilson and her value and contribution to both the national team and her own team, the Las Vegas Aces. What are the chances of Wilson repeating for a history-making fifth MVP?
Annie: I think voter fatigue is a real thing, and this year there is a group of successful candidates the conversation is getting more and more interesting. But neither is as impactful on both ends of the floor as A’ja. In fact, the only player who makes the best case for being the best all-around player is Stewart, and she’s mostly faded from the conversation because of what players like Miles, Clark and Mitchell are doing on offense.
The final four games of the regular season will factor into the final vote. For now, my vote goes to Wilson, but I’m not ready to say it’s final.
