NBA
League insiders say the Cavaliers could trade Donovan Mitchell if the team struggles in the first half of 2023-24
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated06 Jul 2023
Last season, the Cavaliers finished 51-31, the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference. This was Cleveland’s first time making the playoffs since LeBron James left. It also was Donovan Mitchell’s first season with the team. They lost in five games during the opening round of the playoffs and were stunned by the Knicks. League insiders say the Cavaliers could trade Mitchell if the team struggles in the first half of 2023-24.
Mitchell is currently under contract for two more seasons with the Cavaliers, with a player option in 2025-26. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has shut down any rumors of Cleveland trying to move the four-time all-star. However, his colleague Tim Bontemps still has Mitchell as a name to watch next season for the Cavs.
The team proved they were a top team in the East during the regular season. Their postseason play was not up to standard and they lost in five games to the Knicks. Mitchell and the rest of his teammates have been thinking about that early playoff exit all postseason. It’s fuel to the fire for next year.
NBA insider believes Donovan Mitchell could be on the move if the Cavs struggle this season: https://t.co/lPTYt06CMe
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) July 5, 2023
Is Donovan Mitchell a player that the Cavaliers would seriously consider trading?
Next season, Mitchell is owed $32.6 million, and $34.8 million in 2024-25. The 26-year-old has a $37 million player option for the 2025-26 season. Mitchell could hit unrestricted free agency at the end of the 2024-25 season if he opts out of that player option. That’s over $100 million they owe Mitchell if he stays all three seasons.
With the Cavs last season, Donovan Mitchell averaged a career-high (28.3) points per game. He also earned his first-ever All-NBA selection last season. Mitchell even thought that he got snubbed from first-team All-NBA. The SG thinks highly of himself and knew he had a special season.
He also matched his career-high (.386) three-point percentage. Mitchell attempted (9,3) threes per game last season. With all that being said, it would be hard to see the Cavaliers move on from him. They traded three players, two first-round picks, and two picks swaps to acquire Mitchell. Why would they want to trade him away after giving up all those resources to get him?
