For the Cleveland Cavaliers, the 2025-26 season has gone far from what they had both hoped and expected. As of now, the Cavaliers sit at 17-16, good for the 8th in the weak Eastern Conference.
Two months ago, Cleveland was widely considered the favorites in the East and while that door hasn't closed, things look a lot murkier. If the Cavaliers can't turn things around and their season ends as disappointingly as it began, it would be shocking if the front office didn't shake things up with a major offseason move.
While much of the trade discussions have swirled around Darius Garland, Bill Simmons suggested in his podcast that perhaps Cleveland would be better off trading its biggest star: Donovan Mitchell. It might sound a tad far-fetched, but in reality, it could make the most sense long term.
Cavaliers' cap crisis is familiar to everyone
The extent of Cleveland's inability to upgrade its roster via trade cannot be overstated. They have the most expensive payroll in the league and are $22 million over the second apron, which no other team is over.
Evan Mobley and Mitchell are both making over $46 million each this season, and Garland earns over $39 million as well. That comes before mentioning deals worth over $20 million annually for De'Andre Hunter and Jarrett Allen.
The most terrifying part of the whole ordeal is that the Cavaliers are going to be even more expensive next year. A total of over $20 million will be added via yearly salary escalations to the five aforementioned players.
For Cleveland to be able to do anything from a retool to a rebuild, it'll have to get at least one of those deals off the books. Mitchell's could make the most sense as the largest contract if the Cavaliers look to shake things up in a major way.
As stated above, Mitchell and Mobley each make roughly the same amount, but Mitchell is five years older. At 29 years old, there's a real chance he is currently in his fully realized prime and that things won't get better than they are now for him individually.
Mobley, on the other hand, is just 24. The Cavaliers big is still just scratching the surface of his potential, especially offensively. Additionally, Mobley is under team control through the 2030-31 season.
Mitchell has a whopping $53 million dollar deal for 2027-28, and is a free agent the next summer. If the Cavaliers stick with Mitchell and don't get over the hump, there's a distinct possibility that they end up hoping that Mitchell doesn't even pick that option up.
Allowing Garland and Mobley to run the show could be a good thing
It's not easy to say that trading your best player will make the team better, but it could allow the pairing of Garland and Mobley to excel.
For Mobley, not having Mitchell in the fold will give him all the more opportunity to create with the ball in his hands. It's no guarantee that he'll become the level of on-ball creator that Mitchell is, but it might be well worth it to give him a chance.
Garland's season in 2025-26 has been marred with his nagging toe injury, but when healthy, he is amongst the best guards in the league at getting into the lane via the pick and roll and finding his teammates. It's somewhat simple with him: the more he has the ball, the more effective he is.
That could be seen in his breakout All-Star season in 2021-22 (before Mitchell arrived in Cleveland). The same can be said of last year as well, when Mitchell was injured.
While Mitchell is undoubtedly a much better and more polished scorer than Garland, the Cavs point guard is the better passer. He puts his teammates, especially bigs, in easy scoring opportunities with his generation of paint touches and lobs.
To put it simply, having Mitchell out of the picture will give Mobley the chance to develop at a higher rate while also allowing to Garland to run the show. The latter is a role in which he has proven more than capable of elevating his teammates even further.
In a world where Cleveland trades Mitchell this offseason (it's a bit far-fetched to think they'd deal him at the deadline), they'll have a multitude of avenues to improve the roster.
Not including the giant haul the Cavaliers will receive for dealing Mitchell, Cleveland will have Garland Mobley as the centerpieces. That pairs with Allen, Hunter, Jaylon Tyson, Max Strus, Sam Merrill, Craig Porter Jr. and Tyrese Proctor as role players.
Factor in the inevitable draft capital from the deal combined with the likelihood of trading someone like Allen or Hunter, if Mitchell is dealt, and all of a sudden the Cavaliers are amongst the most fascinating teams in the league.
Having blooming stars such as Garland and Mobley to go along with solid role players, draft capital and cap flexibility is an enviable position to be in. It should be no surprise to anyone that if Cleveland bottoms out in the NBA Playoffs, a Mitchell trade can and should be very much on the table.