The Miami Heat have went after Donovan Mitchell in the past. Could this finally be the year?
The Miami Heat have been linked with Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell plenty of times in the past.
Each time, the search ended in disappointment. According to Yahoo! Sports, the Heat could make another push for Mitchell this summer.
“Miami will do anything for anyone resembling a superstar," the article wrote. "He is someone you can expect to put up big points and make the All Star game. Mitchell is a legitimate top 10-15 player in the sport today. The Heat would try to pair Mitchell and Adebayo as the team’s superstar nucleus, then build out from there. Likely needed to trade most of their draft capital to get the Cavs Ace.”
The Heat were considered frontrunners for Mitchell when he was with the Utah Jazz. After making no progress during the summer of 2022, he was surprisingly traded to the Cavaliers before the start of the season.
It left many Heat fans disappointed because they felt it was in the bag. That summer, Mitchell worked out a bunch with Miami star Bam Adebayo and even participated in the Pro-Am league in South Florida.
There are questions about Mitchell's status with the Cavs. They were on the losing end of an embarrassing sweep against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. It gives reason to believe Mitchell could be on the move again because of the limited success in Cleveland.
“I’m sorry for the city of Cleveland for it to be like this in a sweep,” Mitchell said after the series ended. “That’s ass. We’ll be back, we’ll be ready and we’ll be locked in."
The Heat could view Mitchell as a backup in case they are unable to land Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Anteotkounmpo during free agency. Many are speculating that Miami is Antetokounmpo's preferred destination.
Still, it's good to have a Plan B, especially if it involves Mitchell. Either one would help the Heat become a better contender in the East.
MORE MIAMI HEAT NEWS
Exactly how competitive is the race for Giannis Antetokounmpo?
Here's one way Heat guard Tyler Herro could be on the move this offseason
Could Heat grab SEC guard next month in NBA Draft?
JOIN THE COMMUNITY
Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!
It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of HeatRoundtable. He can be reached at [email protected]
