A decision can be both difficult to make and inspire strong emotions in both sides. There are many fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers who feel strongly that it would be a mistake to trade All-NBA guard Donovan Mitchell; the organization might be among them. There are also some fans and many media members who think it's clear that the Cavs need to trade Mitchell by this year's trade deadline.
Neither side is wrong just because you hold the opposite view; both arguments hold water. There are pros and cons on both sides. As the organization looks to the future and what this team can accomplish, it faces a difficult and understandably conflicting decision: should they trade Donovan Mitchell?
Donovan Mitchell would have plenty of suitors
If the Cavaliers began listening to trade offers for Mitchell, they would have a large number of suitors. He is without question the best player who could potentially be dealt this season, and the number of teams interested would greatly dwarf those who would engage on a deal for Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan or Pascal Siakam.
That level of interest could allow the Cavaliers to exert external leverage in trade negotiations, forcing teams to bring a significant package to the table. It's impossible for the Cavs to expect to get back two solid players, a good prospect and the control of five drafts; not only has the market shifted since their deal 16 months ago, but Mitchell is much closer to free agency.
Even so, teams will need to make strong offers to bring in Mitchell. One team known to take big swings at stars on the trade market is the Miami Heat, and they would almost certainly be one of the teams interested in Mitchell. Let's look at what a trade offer from the Heat could look like and whether it's something that the Cavaliers should consider.
Laying out a Heat trade proposal
The Miami Heat package of assets has been well examined this year, as they were viewed as the top suitor for Damian Lillard until the Milwaukee Bucks swooped into the picture. They have a trio of guards making substantial money to use as the starting point for matching salary in a trade: Kyle Lowry (on an expiring contract), Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro.
Of the three, Herro is the only one to hold clear positive value. Herro makes $27 million this season in the first year of a four-year, $120 million extension. Although he missed a stretch of games due to injury, when he has been on the court he has been a prolific scorer, averaging 23.6 points per game and shooting 41.7 percent from 3-point range.
From there, the Heat would love to include a lower-range role player, be that Caleb Martin or Kevin Love, to get the salary up into the necessary range. That works just fine for the Cavaliers, who would benefit from adding either the versatile two-way forward Martin or setting up a reunion with old friend Kevin Love.
The difficult part of the negotiations will be the value on top of the salaries in draft picks and prospects. The Heat may like to include multiple draft picks and keep their young talent, but the Cavs would almost certainly force Jaime Jaquez Jr. to be a part of any deal. Let's assume their leverage is enough for Miami to include the All-Rookie candidate in the deal. In that case, the trade would look something like this:
The Heat land their star guard, one young enough to pair with Bam Adebayo to lead this team even as Jimmy Butler begins to age. He essentially serves as an upgrade on the Tyler Herro role, raising Miami's ceiling and placing them firmly in contention to win the Eastern Conference. Giving up Jaquez Jr. hurts, but his upside appears to be a solid role player, not a star on the level of Mitchell.
If the Heat were willing to make this offer, would the Cavaliers say yes? Should they? Let's examine the deal from Cleveland's point of view and give this trade a final grade.
Would the Cavaliers say yes?
The Cleveland Cavaliers don't want to trade Donovan Mitchell; that's been widely reported in recent days. They invested a lot to add him and still have optimism for what this group can accomplish. For the sake of this conversation, let's assume that they have either seen the writing on the wall and want to maximize the return for Mitchell, or that he has told the team he doesn't plan to re-sign.
In the ideal scenario, the Cavaliers would be adding win-now help as well as picks and prospects to use in upgrading the team now or down the road. The Cavs own this year's draft pick and then the Utah Jazz control the next five drafts; they won't be tanking anytime soon. Nor can they with Darius Garland and Evan Mobley forming the foundation of their team for the next half-decade.
That's what makes this deal from the Heat so intriguing. Herro can step into Mitchell's spot in the starting lineup and provide a lot of scoring punch, while allowing Garland to spread his wings a bit further. Jaquez Jr. would be a versatile forward to pair with Dean Wade and Georges Niang off the bench or even a replacement in the starting lineup if the Cavs move on from Jarrett Allen in a separate transaction.
Is the on-court talent enough to only get back a single first-round pick? That would sting after giving up three firsts and two swaps for Mitchell, but the Cavs can't be concerned with winning the press conference. They need to find the best package available whether or not it is draft-pick heavy.
The counterpoint to this trade is that Herro, for all of his offensive punch, offers even more of a defensive issue playing alongside Garland in the backcourt. Jaquez is solid but doesn't offer star upside, and the first coming back is likely to be late in the first round. Should the Cavs look for a package with more of a shot at a star?
This is a solid deal, but the Cavaliers have to hope they can do better. Perhaps that's exacting more draft capital from the Heat or perhaps it's building a deal with another team. This would be a livable return, but not the best one out there.
Grade: B-