Donovan Mitchell trade conversations to dominate Cavs’ offseason after playoff loss to Celtics

For Cleveland, the noise surrounding Donovan Mitchell’s future based on their inability to advance far in the postseason has been around since the very start of the 2023-24 season. So much has been said about the All-Star shooting guard leaving the Cavaliers for a better situation. But what many tend to overlook is that he was interested in joining the Cavs when the Utah Jazz pulled the trigger on their blockbuster trade in 2022.

Mitchell has remained committed to the Cavs, and the organization has made it very clear that he is the centerpiece of the franchise. Owner Dan Gilbert tried his best to shoot down rumors regarding Mitchell in March when he discussed a potential extension for his team’s star.

“We’ve been talking to him, sure, for the last couple of years about extending this contract,” Gilbert told The Associated Press. “We think he will extend. I think if you listen to him talk, he loves the city. He loves the situation in Cleveland because our players are very young, and we’re just kind of putting the core together that he’s clearly the biggest part of.”

As the offseason begins in Cleveland, Mitchell enters the fourth year of a five-year, $163 million extension that he signed with Utah in 2020. Although he will be eligible for a four-year contract extension worth upwards of $200 million this offseason, Mitchell has hinted at the notion that he will not be signing such a deal. Mitchell, who remained committed to the Cavs throughout the course of the season despite injuries and frustrations taking a toll on the team as a whole in the middle of the year, was non-committal at the end of March when he was questioned about Gilbert’s comments on a potential extension.

“We all have things to focus on outside of that,” Mitchell said, via ClutchPoints’ Erik Slater. “I’ll handle that when it comes to. I understand you’ve got to ask that question, and I’ll give you the same answer — my teammates know me. At the end of the day, we’re going out there trying to find ways to win a championship.”

Some tend to believe that Mitchell will decline an upcoming extension from the Cavs, if offered this summer, due to potential interest in becoming a free agent following the 2024-25 season. The five-time All-Star owns a $37.09 million player option for the 2025-26 season, the final year of his current deal. At the same time, Mitchell holding off on signing an extension maximizes his potential earnings on a future extension and new contract from Cleveland. In doing so, Mitchell could earn himself a five-year deal worth over $250 million with the Cavs in 2025.

JB Bickerstaff relationship with Donovan Mitchell, Cavs

When the 2023-24 season began, the Cavs’ leadership had high hopes that the roster they assembled would be one that could compete at the very top of the league. A 4-6 start did not sit well with anyone, and their 13-12 record heading into the holiday season of December led to speculation about JB Bickerstaff’s immediate future with the team. Even with 95 wins to his name over the last two years entering this season, Bickerstaff was still being thrown under the microscope in his fourth season.

Whether or not Bickerstaff was the right coach to lead this team was a question the Cavs’ braintrust were facing daily from their fans, local media, and even some of the players in the locker room. Of course, Cleveland has defended their head coach through thick and thin, never once making comments about him being on the hot seat, as any organization should with their figurehead.

But chatter around the league was that Bickerstaff was indeed close to losing his job in early December. In fact, he may have been fired if the Cavs lost on the road to the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 2, according to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon. Cleveland entered this game with a 10-9 record, and the Pistons had lost 16 consecutive games, resulting in their 2-17 record at the time. This win over Detroit pushed the Cavs at the start of the month, and they finished December with an 8-5 record. Entering 2024, the Cavs were 18-14, sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

From that moment on, Bickerstaff and his team showed impressive resilience, with Garland, Mobley, and others on the roster dealing with injuries that sidelined them for weeks. From the start of January through the month of February, Cleveland went 20-6, tying the Celtics for the best record in the league during this span. The Cavs ranked fifth in offensive rating and third in defensive rating, which is why there was full belief in Bickerstaff and this team’s chances of competing in the postseason.

Ultimately, the Cavs ran into a roadblock with the Celtics after pulling out a hard-fought seven-game series against the Magic despite things looking dire early on in Game 7. Once again, injuries piled up for them, and they simply did not have enough firepower to take down Boston and achieve what many were calling unthinkable. The general consensus among league circles as Cleveland exits the postseason is that Bickerstaff will return for the 2024-25 season, which would make him the franchise’s longest-tenured head coach since Mike Brown from 2005-10.

Whether or not a change in leadership on the sidelines is made with a decision that would come from Gilbert and Koby Altman in the front office. It is also one that will be influenced by what Mitchell and the other players say when the organization reviews this season as a whole.

Mitchell has always been fond of Bickerstaff and has always gone out of his way to support his head coach behind closed doors, league sources told ClutchPoints. However, Mitchell was an advocate for Quin Snyder, his former coach with the Utah Jazz, and he hoped the organization would consider bringing Snyder in after the struggles displayed to end the 2022-23 season if things didn’t work out with Bickerstaff. It is no coincidence that Mitchell always went out of his way to publicly praise Snyder before he took the job with the Atlanta Hawks.

If the Cavs were to move on from Bickerstaff, they would do so just weeks before the 2024 NBA Draft and before an offseason where the organization already faces questions about the future. Assuming the main goal would be to keep Mitchell happy, he would undoubtedly be involved in the coaching search.

Despite their options being limited, New York Knicks associate head coach Johnnie Bryant would be a very interesting name to consider, sources said. Bryant worked as an assistant with the Jazz under Snyder from 2014 to 2020. In this role, he was Mitchell’s personal growth coach. Current Dallas Mavericks assistant Alex Jensen, who also served on Snyder’s staff in Utah while Mitchell was there, and current Boston Celtics assistant Sam Cassell are two other names who would receive the backing of Cleveland’s star guard.

Bickerstaff has a strong relationship with Mitchell. He also has a strong bond with those in the Cavs’ front office. Cleveland’s 143 wins over the last three seasons are tied for the seventh-most wins in the league during this span. It would be unorthodox for the team to make a switch on the sidelines given this type of success, yet the league has transitioned to the mindset of postseason success deciding a coach’s fate. In regards to Mitchell’s future, the Cavs are going to do what it takes to keep him happy, no matter what is said about other teams pursuing him this offseason.

Trade rumors pertaining to Mitchell

Rumors about Mitchell’s future have been closely tied to the Knicks and Brooklyn Nets. Mitchell is from New York and has always been fond of the Knicks’ franchise. Regarding the Nets, he is close friends with Mikal Bridges. There have also been whispers about Mitchell and the Atlanta Hawks dating back before the 2023-24 season. Mitchell has a strong relationship with All-Star point guard Trae Young, and the Hawks want to position themselves to once again be at the top of the Eastern Conference standings rather quickly.

While it is true that Atlanta is looking to cut costs and duck the tax lines heading into the summer, owner Tony Ressler is willing to make a big move and invest long-term money into a player who puts the team in a championship position, sources said. Now having the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft to play around with, as well as talents such as Dejounte Murray, Clint Capela, De’Andre Hunter, and AJ Griffin, the Hawks could get creative in terms of offering a massive package for Mitchell this summer.

Oh, and Quin Snyder is the head coach down in Atlanta. Keep an eye on the Hawks this summer, as it is not a forgone conclusion that they will only operate as sellers and go through a soft rebuild by dealing either Young or Murray. A move to trade either guard could put the Hawks in a position to acquire an All-NBA talent such as Mitchell in a blockbuster trade over the summer.

While there are several other teams that would also like to pursue Mitchell, like the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers, he remains committed to winning in Cleveland. Before February’s trade deadline, league sources close to Mitchell told ClutchPoints that his focus was solely on the Cavs. While he will have a lot to think about entering the summer, this mindset of focusing on his current organization remains true, sources said. Mitchell has given the Cavs no reason to believe that he is wanting to leave.

With this said, Mitchell is going to be operating with a sense of urgency to win. It is expected that the Cavs will seek to make the necessary changes in order to elevate the organization to the same level as those competing for a championship. Team personnel are aware of the clear need for scoring help alongside Mitchell, sources said. Since arriving in Cleveland, Mitchell has been on board with the idea of having the team build a roster around him. Both the Cavs and Mitchell are going to put a point of emphasis on winning this offseason. This will lead to some drastic changes in how this roster looks moving forward.

Cavs roster decisions: Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley

Roster change is inevitable for the Cavaliers as they enter the summer. Cleveland has a total payroll that exceeds $150 million. They are well below the major tax lines, but the fact of the matter is that this team has not found a whole lot of postseason success since Mitchell came into the fold. While reaching the second round was a step forward, the team didn’t look like a real contender throughout the postseason. Winning right now is all that matters for the Cavs, which is why consideration needs to be given to the idea of changing their core.

If Mitchell is to stay and the organization completely buys into maximizing their time with him as their star, Darius Garland’s future suddenly becomes the first bullet point to address. Garland will be entering Year 2 of a five-year, $197 million extension that he signed with Cleveland in 2022. The problem with the former All-Star is that his availability always seems to be a yellow flag. This season, Garland missed a total of 25 games due to a handful of injuries, most notably a fractured jaw that sidelined him for about seven weeks.

Whether or not the Cavs can find an upgrade in their backcourt alongside Mitchell has led to questions around the league about whether the team will consider moving Garland in a trade this offseason. Garland may wind up being the odd man out for Cleveland if the team insists on keeping their frontcourt duo of Allen and Mobley. The 24-year-old point guard could certainly draw attention if made available on the trade block due to his natural scoring and passing abilities.

One team that could show interest in Garland is the Minnesota Timberwolves. Before the Cavs selected Garland fifth overall in 2019, the Timberwolves attempted to move up in the draft to grab him, sources said. Minnesota owned the sixth pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, and they ended up with Jarrett Culver, who currently plays in the G League. Mike Conley recently signed a two-year extension with the Timberwolves, but he is not their long-term franchise point guard.

Minnesota, despite all of their success during the 2023-24 season, will have to navigate potential long-term costs in the offseason. Pursuing a player like Garland, who is under contract for four more years with an annual average value of just under $40 million, may not fit this description of cutting costs. Then again, the new ownership group led by Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore may be willing to spend what it takes to keep this team a true title contender.

From the Cavs’ perspective, Conley and Mitchell remain close friends after sharing a backcourt with one another in Utah. While they could always look to make Garland available, it is much more likely that the Cavaliers would consider moving Allen given his value and smaller contract size. Allen has two more years and $40 million in total left on his current contract, making him a very attractive big man for a few teams around the league.

The New Orleans Pelicans have not been shy regarding their interest in Allen, and the Memphis Grizzlies have also been a team that has monitored Cleveland’s big man in recent years. The Grizzlies have the No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, plus sharpshooter Luke Kennard, who could be an attractive shooter for the Cavs. Should they want to add more depth in their frontcourt next to Chet Holmgren, the Oklahoma City Thunder could be another possible suitor for Allen in trade talks.

Circling back to the Pelicans, Allen is viewed as one of their top options to possibly replace Jonas Valanciunas this offseason, sources said. In the past, New Orleans has been unwilling to discuss Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III in trade talks. It is unlikely that this mindset has changed. So, could that lead to discussions about former All-Star forward Brandon Ingram, with his future already being questioned? Ingram could bring the high-level scoring the Cavs are lacking next to Mitchell, and he would have no problem leading the offense when Donovan isn’t on the court. Pursuing Ingram would mean that the Cavs would also need to sacrifice another player, which would likely be Caris LeVert in this scenario.

Cleveland may be willing to discuss Allen in certain scenarios this offseason due to how high they are on Mobley. They are 100 percent sold on Mobley’s abilities to become the face of the franchise, sources said, and the Cavs tend to view him more as a center than a power forward next to Allen. Although they have no intentions of trading Mobley, an extension for the former third overall pick is unlikely this offseason, sources said. Mobley will be entering the final year of his rookie contract during the 2024-25 season.

Tough decisions will need to be made by the Cavs’ front office over the summer. They have a clear need for scoring alongside Mitchell, and the goal is to find the right combination of shooters to surround this core of him and Mobley moving forward. Mitchell can be the lead point guard for this team, and Mobley is viewed as the organization’s center for years to come. Currently limited in terms of the assets they have to work with, the Cavs will need to get creative not only if they are to be true title threats heading into the 2024-25 season but also if Mitchell is to sign on with the franchise long-term.

ClutchPoints Cleveland Cavaliers beat reporter Evan Dammarell also contributed to this story.