Grading 4 Cleveland Cavaliers' trade potential amid deadline buzz

The Cavaliers are not trading Donovan Mitchell now, but teams will be calling

Addressing the elephant in the room, all 29 rival NBA teams will be watching the Cavaliers and Donovan Mitchell closely this trade deadline. At the onset of Garland and Mobley falling to injury, the NBA world was flooded with Mitchell trade speculation and potential buyers for the perennial All-Star guard.

Thus far, the Cavs have reportedly shown no interest in trading Mitchell, who has equally shown no outward desire to leave Cleveland. Mitchell has been nothing but a professional for the Cavaliers, breaking franchise records and setting career highs since joining the team. A divorce may eventually arrive if the Cavs continue to flounder in the postseason, but a rushed mid-season trade is not in the Cavaliers' fortune.

Nonetheless, Cavs President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman will surely be bombarded with phone calls filled with not-so-subtle allusions to a Mitchell deal. Frankly, nobody can blame these other general managers for it. Mitchell is averaging 28 points, 5.7 assists (career high), 5.6 rebounds (career high) on 46/34/89 shooting splits and is always a guaranteed All-Star selection in either conference.

In the least shocking result ever expected, Donovan Mitchell would yield another jaw-dropping return if he was traded for a second time. It will not happen this season, even if the offseason may have a different story. Still, though, Mitchell is undoubtedly the Cavalier with the highest trade value.