When the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell in a blockbuster trade ahead of last season, the hope was that he’d be a long-term fixture in Ohio.
Through roughly his first 1.5 seasons with the Cavaliers, it looks like this might not be the case. Cleveland finds itself at a pedestrian 18-15 on the season. It is nothing more than a bottom-end playoff contender with Mitchell leading the charge.
Meanwhile, the two sides have not been able to come to terms on an extension. Mitchell’s current contract runs through the 2025-26 season with the guard boasting an opt out he’ll likely exercise following next season. It has led to widespread speculation that the Cavaliers might bite the bullet and move Mitchell.
According to this note from Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports, the Miami Heat are a team to watch. “The Heat have been looking for a combo guard and have long had their eyes on Mitchell,” the NBA insider reported.
It really shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that the Heat are being linked to one of the big names potentially available on the NBA trade block. They were seen as a likely destination for Damian Lillard this past offseason before he was sent to the Milwaukee Bucks. Front office head Pat Riley is always in on big names and wants to get a running partner for Jimmy Butler.
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Donovan Mitchell trade to the Miami Heat would make sense
As noted above, Riley is always going big-game hunting on the NBA trade block. Despite earning a surprising trip to the NBA Finals in June, that’s not going to change ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline. Miami has played better recently (18-10 since a 1-4 start).
But it is not going to be mistaken as a legit conference title contender with the likes of the Bucks, Celtics and 76ers. Acquiring someone of Mitchell’s ilk to team up with Butler out on the perimeter would change the dynamics big time.
- Donovan Mitchell stats (2023-24): 27.9 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 5.7 APG, 46% shooting
The question here is what Miami might be willing to offer up in order to pull off a trade of this ilk. Tyler Herro is the team’s leading scorer at 23.4 points per game. He was bandied about in NBA trade rumors for Lillard this past offseason.
Miami also has youngsters such as recent first-round picks Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jaquez Jr. that could entice Cleveland.
It really is all about what the Cleveland Cavaliers might be demanding and in what direction they’re looking to go if Mitchell is indeed put on the block.