This NBA trade idea sends Donovan Mitchell from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the New Orleans Pelicans.
A blockbuster NBA trade idea sending Donovan Mitchell from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the New Orleans Pelicans has been created.
Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report proposed the following trade between the Pelicans and Cavaliers:
Pelicans Receive: SG Donovan Mitchell
Cavaliers Receive: SF Trey Murphy III, PG Jeremiah Fears, F Saddiq Bey, C Kevon Looney, 2028 first-round pick (unprotected)
According to The Athletic's Fred Katz, Cleveland is prepared to explore trade scenarios for Mitchell this offseason should the All-Star guard decline a contract extension. Under his current contract, Mitchell can hit free agency in 2027.
Starting on July 7, Mitchell can sign an extension with the Cavaliers that adds four years and $277 million to his current deal. Adding four seasons would require Mitchell to decline his player option for the 2027-28 season.
Next season is Mitchell's 10th in the NBA. If the former Utah Jazz guard waits until next summer for a new contract, the Cavaliers can sign him to a five-year, roughly $352 million deal.
"A Dejounte Murray-Mitchell backcourt should be extremely enticing for the Pelicans, especially paired with a frontcourt of Jones, Williamson and Queen," Swartz wrote. "For a team that nearly played .500 basketball over the last two-plus months of the season, this would be an aggressive move toward making the playoffs next year.
"For Cleveland, Murphy is the small forward this team has craved for years. The 25-year-old averaged 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.5 steals and made 3.2 threes per game at a 37.9 percent clip. His remaining three-year, $87 million contract is going to age extremely well. Fears was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2025 draft and put up 14.3 points and 3.4 assists as a rookie. He could learn under James Harden or start in the backcourt next to the future Hall of Famer. Bey quietly averaged 17.7 points per game in a return from a torn ACL and Looney gives the Cavs a reliable backup center. An unprotected first-round pick in 2028 helps the Cavaliers say yes."
Mitchell told reporters during his exit interview that he wants to stay with the Cavaliers. However, if he doesn't sign an extension or if Cleveland doesn't offer him one, Mitchell could get traded this summer.
Mitchell will make $50,105,628 next season. He put up 27.9 points per game for the Cavaliers this regular season and guided Cleveland to the conference finals for the first time since 1992 without LeBron James on the roster.
However, the Cavaliers got swept by the New York Knicks in the conference finals.
Is Mitchell going to agree to an extension with a team that just got swept in the East Finals and went 8-10 in the playoffs overall? Are the Cavaliers comfortable paying Mitchell this massive sum of money if they aren't sure if he can be a true No. 1 option on a championship team? These are the questions that Mitchell and the Cavaliers will be thinking about this summer.
If the answer to one (or both) of the previous questions is no, the two parties may have to agree to work together to find a trade.
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