The NBA Rumor Mill is grinding away as it always does at this time of the year. Much of the conversation is fun, healthy deliberating about which players could be available in a trade, and which teams should pursue which players. Teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers are pursuing trades just like everyone else is, trying to find an upgrade without giving up too much.
Occasionally, however, the rumor mill gets a little out of control. Sure, some passionate fans are trying to suggest the Cavaliers turn Caris LeVert into Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, but even people and outlets that are supposed to be more reasonable (or at the least more informed) go off the rails a bit. Recently there have been real discussions about Kevin Durant and LeBron James being traded; we tried to grapple with that latter idea, tossed out by known instigator Bill Simmons.
Which trade rumors are realistic? Which are floating off the earth and heading toward space? This matters for fans and media trying to track the discussions swirling around the Cavaliers and Donovan Mitchell.
Will the Cleveland Cavaliers trade Donovan Mitchell?
The Cavaliers have made it clear through the media that they do not plan to trade Mitchell this season, and that's most likely true. Still, things change, and there is enough of a logical case to be made for trading him this season that the Cavs have to be speaking internally about it, and other teams are reaching out trying to make their pitch.
Which trade partners are realistic? And which make no sense at all? Let's look at six teams that are being discussed, either directly for Mitchell or indirectly as buyers on the trade market. Which ones make sense, which ones don't, and where will Mitchell end up if the Cavaliers decide to trade him?
No. 3: The New Orleans Pelicans make sense
The teams most often linked to Donovan Mitchell this trade season have been big markets. The assumption has been that Mitchell, as most NBA stars are wont to do, favors re-signing with a large market team. That's a reasonable assumption, but Mitchell hasn't actually done anything to communicate that, and there are still two playoff runs before he can become a free agent.
The New Orleans Pelicans are therefore a fascinating dark horse candidate to trade for Mitchell. CJ McCollum is aging and not the ideal fit as the primary on-ball creator. The Pelicans have a lot of talent, from Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram on offense to Herbert Jones and Dyson Daniels on defense, and Trey Murphy II on both.
They can afford to trade for Mitchell, with players and a deep warchest of draft picks, and still look like a team ready to contend. That makes them a trade partner that makes a lot of sense, and it would not be a surprise to hear they are making overtures to Cleveland already.
No. 3: The Los Angeles Lakers don't make sense
The Los Angeles Lakers are a big market. They have a history of star-hunting. They are having a disappointing season but could still reasonably contend for a title with the right pieces around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Those are the ingredients to include the Lakers in a Donovan Mitchell trade discussion; that is, until the quesiton of what the Lakers have to offer comes up.
The Lakers have one impressive young player in Austin Reaves, one solitary future first-round pick that they can trade, and otherwise a collection of salaries that Cavaliers will not want. The Lakers will and should call around and dream big, but there is no chance that the Cavs would deal Mitchell to the Lakers given what they can offer.
The other option, floated by Bill Simmons this past week and one that we evaluated in full here, is that the Lakers could trade LeBron James to the Cavaliers for Mitchell. That idea is not only far-fetched, it's ludicrous for the Cavaliers to even consider. There is a lot of uncertainty swirling around the Cavaliers and Donovan Mitchell, but one thing is certain: he will not be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
No. 2: The Miami Heat make sense
The Miami Heat are mentioned in trade discussions for most any star player, and with good reason. Their market makes it reasonable to re-sign stars, they have an elite organization and a track record of finding role players on the margins such that they can afford to move prospects and picks to land stars.
Even more so, their current roster construction has a Donovan-Mitchell-sized hole in it. He would be the perfect on-ball creator to pair with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. The Heat have a collection of picks and matching salaries to make this conceivable. It's possible that the Cavs won't value Tyler Herro highly enough for the Heat to win negotiations, and the two teams would absolutely fight over Jaime Jaquez Jr., but it's realistic for the Heat to be in the discussion.
No. 2: The Oklahoma City Thunder don't make sense
The Oklahoma City Thunder are ahead of schedule, growing up before our eyes into a legitimate title contender. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is an MVP candidate, Chet Holmgren looks like a future All-NBA fixture, and Jalen Williams is an excellent wingman to SGA. Yet given the Thunder's deep collection of draft picks, it's natural to think of them as a candidate to cash in their chips for another star to add to the mix.
The Thunder seem like a team planning to be patient, but even if they were ready to push the chips in, it's unlikely they do so for a player like Mitchell. They have their No. 1 option and an elite backcourt player in Gilgeous-Alexander, and their approach to team-building is to go after length and skill; it's highly unlikely that they would pair SGA and Mitchell.
What's more, as competitive as the Thunder are right now and moving forward, Oklahoma City is not a place that most stars want to live. The Thunder would not only need a small backcourt to work but they would have a ticking clock to convince Mitchell to stick around. The situation and the player don't make a lot of sense for the Thunder. If they make a move, expect them to target a forward under contract.
No. 1: The Brooklyn Nets make sense
Donovan Mitchell is a New York native who has expressed that he would love to play in his hometown, so there are obvious reasons to connect him back to the two teams in New York. Of the two, the Brooklyn Nets make an awful lot of sense as a trade partner.
The Nets have been floundering this year, stocked with a collection of strong players without a star to lead the way. They also don't control their own draft for years to come, meaning their response to that floundering is more likely to be star-hunting than tearing down. Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and Nic Claxton are a frontcourt whose skillsets fit perfectly together, but they need an on-ball star to step into the backcourt. Enter Donovan Mitchell.
The Nets have a collection of prospects, draft picks (from Phoenix and Dallas rather than their own) and matching salary to make a trade happen while still retaining the core of their team. They have a lot of reason to think Mitchell would re-sign, not only to play in New York but to team up with Bridges. If laying odds, Brooklyn should probably be the better favorite.
No. 1: The New York Knicks don't make sense
There is absolutely a case to make for the Knicks to trade for Donovan Mitchell. They are not only his hometown team but the team he rooted for growing up; they have a strong need for an on-ball creator; and finally, they retained their fat pile of draft picks in the OG Anunoby trade to use in adding an upgrade at shooting guard. Those picks and a handful of contracts make an intriguing trade package.
The problem for the Knicks in trading for Mitchell is twofold. First, it would give them an extremely small backcourt, and that's a weak spot head coach Tom Thibodeau is unlikely to go to war with. Second, Mitchell make a lot of money now and will make even more on his next contract; when you add in a pending max for Jalen Brunson, a new significant deal for Anunoby and Julius Randle's contract, you get a cap sheet likely to push well into the luxury tax and begin incurring team-building penalties.
The Knicks have had their eyes on Mitchell for a long time, and their ties to CAA only make the possibility of Mitchell coming to New York that much stronger. The hurdles are high, but it can't be ruled completely out.