Lakers reportedly at ‘front of the line’ for potential Donovan Mitchell trade
With the Cavs out of the playoffs, conversations regarding the future of their star Donovan Mitchell will only increase and the Lakers are right in the middle of the rumors.
The Lakers have been out of the playoffs for a round now and teams are starting to join them in Cancun. On Wednesday, the Cleveland Cavaliers were eliminated by the Boston Celtics and rumors about the team's future will now ramp up in the coming days and weeks.
One of the ongoing topics of discussion surrounds Donovan Mitchell and the likelihood of him signing an extension this summer. Cleveland would greatly desire Mitchell adding more years to his deal or giving the Cavaliers a vote of confidence. If he doesn't agree to remain with the organization, the Cavs must consider trading their superstar guard to ensure he doesn't walk away for nothing as a free agent in 2025.
According to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, the Lakers are a very possible destination if they go the trading route.
“If Mitchell doesn’t sign an extension with Cleveland this summer, the Cavs will have to explore trade options — and one of the teams standing at the front of the line will be the Lakers. It’s possible, given Mitchell’s current condition with his calf, that he has already played his final game in a Cavs jersey.”
It's no surprise that Cleveland would have Los Angeles on speed dial if they were to deal Mitchell. The Lakers reportedly discussed internally trading for Donovan Mitchell around the trade deadline and now that the Lakers have three future first round picks they can use in a deal, they can be aggressive and use them in a move for a third star.
If Mitchell is a possibility for the Lakers, how interested is the franchise in making that happen? According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, Mitchell may now be the most likely star the team could potentially trade for.
“I previously said on here...Trae Young, if I had to pick a third star that was the most likely (for the Lakers to trade for) at that time and I want to say that was late February, early March....I would change that answer now to Donovan Mitchell. I think there’s been several things that have changed.”
So the Cavaliers would likely have the Lakers as an early call and the Lakers would want Mitchell and have the picks and players to make a deal happen. That's a very interesting proposition.
This is far from an automatic move; who knows what Cleveland's asking price would be, what other teams can offer and if Mitchell even becomes available.
Still, until Mitchell extends or commits to the Cavs, Lakers fans need to keep an eye on that situation.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.