For several months, an insistent rumor has continued to grow in Ohio: that of Donovan Mitchell’s desire to leave during the summer of 2024. Now that the Cavaliers have been eliminated by the Celtics in the semi-finals of the Eastern Conference, it makes perfect sense that the media are talking about it even more by citing potential candidates to welcome Spida. The Lakers, the Nets, and the Heat would be among the most serious candidates to welcome Donovan Mitchell.
You know how things go in the NBA. Players rarely speak directly to complain and force their departure, except in extreme cases like that of James Harden last year, but will use their agents or those close to them to spread certain rumors to the media. So, even if Donovan Mitchell repeated throughout the season that he was happy in Cleveland, the rumors in the corridors had a different resonance.
Following the elimination in the playoffs against the Celtics, anonymous sources (everything is always anonymous in the NBA…) affirm that Donovan Mitchell felt frustrated in the playoffs by the lack of maturity, concentration, preparation for the intensity of the postseason, and willingness to listen to some of his teammates. Since it’s Donovan Mitchell, some will say that it was up to him to get his teammates more involved in the playoffs. Others will agree, noting that if he was forced to take so many shots in the first round against the Magic, it was because some of his teammates, like Darius Garland, went completely through on several occasions.
It’s up to you to make up your own mind on the subject.
Regarding the future of Donovan Mitchell, it is obvious that if he is not ready to accept a contract extension this summer, the Cavaliers will look for a new base for him. Seeing Donovan Mitchell leave for free in the summer of 2025 is clearly not an option for the Ohio franchise. Therefore, the Cavaliers could look to make the most of their multiple All-Star this summer.
As soon as a superstar is potentially available, we inevitably think of the Lakers. The Lakers were again eliminated by the Nuggets in the playoffs this season, and the franchise with 17 NBA titles will have to seek to improve this summer to convince LeBron James to stay initially, but also to avoid that his 2 or 3 recent years in the league have been tasteless.
Because even if LeBron is 39 years old and he will begin his 22nd season in the league next fall, we saw again this season that he was capable of playing at a very high level of play. He remains a player Top 10 in this league. Seeing him win a 5th NBA title with the Lakers at age 40 would be something extraordinary for himself but also for the Lakers legend.
Even if the trend no longer seems to be to form Big Threes these days, the Lakers are already salivating at the prospect of being able to combine Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and Donovan Mitchell. Donovan Mitchell is a rare offensive talent in the league. He is capable of scoring 50 points in the playoffs and would bring to the Lakers this third offensive force which they lacked so much in the hot moments against the Nuggets this year.
The Lakers came very close to beating the Nuggets in every game, and each time they lacked a player capable of scoring the crucial baskets in the final minutes. LeBron no longer has this ability to assassinate the last quarter over an entire series of playoffs. Donovan Mitchell could bring that offensive spark that Jamal Murray was able to produce against the Lakers.
The real question is what it would cost the Lakers to bring in Donovan Mitchell knowing that the Nets and Heat would also be in the mix. This would inevitably raise the stakes. If the Heat have already shown in the past that they were not ready to sacrifice everything to attract a superstar, the Nets will be in my opinion.
What are the possible trade scenarios between the Lakers and the Cavs if Donovan Mitchell expressed his desire to leave Ohio?
The first thing that jumps out is that the Lakers would be forced to sacrifice Austin Reaves to attract Donovan Mitchell. Austin Reaves has played a role as a reliable third option in the playoffs the last two seasons with the Lakers and he is highly valued internally, but the possibility of bringing a third All-Star to Los Angeles would clearly justify sacrificing him. The other certainty is that the Lakers would also have to sacrifice at least one, if not two, upcoming first draft picks.
Clearly, the Lakers would choose to mortgage a little more after LeBron James to give him a real chance of winning a new NBA title with the Lakers. A decision that some fans will not like, but which makes perfect sense when you are the Lakers. The Lakers have always looked after their superstars throughout the ages. Seeing the best scorer in NBA history finish his career in purple and gold is a priority for Jeanie Buss.
That being said, here are three potential trade scenarios:
- The Lakers are sending Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round draft pick to the Cavs in exchange for Donovan Mitchell.
- The Lakers send Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, Christian Wood, and two first draft picks (2025 and 2028) in exchange for Donovan Mitchell.
- The Lakers send Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, and two first draft picks (2025 and 2028) and receive Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert in exchange.
It should be noted that the last scenario is the most complex because D’Angelo Russell would have to facilitate the trade by activating his player option for the coming season. Difficult to imagine…
In each of these scenarios, the Lakers would sacrifice some of their bench depth to bring in Donovan Mitchell. Something justifiable as said before as the Lakers love everything that shines and need to satisfy LeBron James so that he re-signs this summer and ends his career in purple and gold.
However, would combining Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Donovan Mitchell really allow the Lakers to be able to beat the Nuggets next year, or more generally to be able to compete with the rising forces of the West that are the Wolves or the Thunder?
It’s clearly not easy, but the Lakers may not have much other room to significantly improve their roster this summer.
Before concluding, I think we also need to look at the situation from Donovan Mitchell’s point of view. Does Donovan Mitchell have an interest in favoring the Lakers rather than the Nets for example?
Wearing the Lakers jersey is a dream for many players, Donovan Mitchell probably included, but by going to Los Angeles, he would be joining a franchise with confused management that has just changed coaches 3 times in just 5 years. A franchise which does not yet know its future coach and which could bet on a beginner coach like JJ Redick to fill the position. Not something super reassuring…
Worse still, if his association with LeBron James and Anthony Davis fails, it is very likely that all the criticism will fall on Donovan Mitchell. LeBron is now untouchable, so it would be his fault or possibly that of Anthony Davis. We all remember what happened during Russell Westbrook’s disastrous time with the Lakers.
The prospect of playing alongside LeBron James could, however, outweigh all these risks for Donovan Mitchell. He who would have complained about the lack of concentration and involvement of his teammates at the Cavs during the playoffs would, alongside LeBron James, touch on what has been best in the NBA for two decades. An opportunity for him to climb another level in the NBA and respond once and for all to his detractors who say that he is not capable of making a team win in the postseason.
Whatever happens, the summer will be hot for the Lakers on the Los Angeles side with many key issues to manage, and rumors that will continue to intensify in the weeks to come. As always ultimately with the Lakers.
2024-05-17 07:33:29
#Lakers #bring #Donovan #Mitchell
