Today, the Cleveland Cavaliers will face the Toronto Raptors in the First Round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs. For now, advancing to and through the 2026 NBA Finals is their main focus. All the same, the Cavs are aware that the stakes are higher than they’ve been at any time in the Donovan Mitchell era. If they fail to make a deep run, let alone make it all the way to the NBA Finals, both the franchise and its face will have serious questions to answer.
From the front office’s side, they’d need to figure out if Mitchell is truly the player that can lead them to a championship. From Mitchell’s side, he could decide that he has a better chance of winning outside of Cleveland. In fact, the writing already may be on the wall, with The Athletic’s Fred Katz reporting that the Cavs might explore trading Mitchell if he doesn’t agree to a contract extension in the offseason.
Will The Cavs Actually Trade Donovan Mitchell — If So, To Who?
If the Cavs feel forced to move Mitchell, be it because he refused to sign a contract extension or otherwise, there are several teams that could be their trade partner.
As he’ll turn 30 years old prior to the season, he won’t have the value he had when Cleveland acquired him in 2022. To that point, the Cavaliers gave up Ochai Agbaji, Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton and five first-round picks for Mitchell. However, Mitchell is still playing at an All-NBA level.Ultimately, Cleveland should still be able to fetch not only multiple first-rounders for the seven-time All-Star but a high-quality player, as well.
The biggest obstacle in acquiring the proper value for Mitchell is the second apron, which the Cavaliers must get under in order to aggregate salaries.
CLE’s Prime Trade Candidates
Looking around the league, multiple teams could use an athletic, scoring-minded off-guard like Mitchell.
Atlanta Hawks
Despite trading Trae Young to the Washington Wizards, the Atlanta Hawks managed to thrive. Notably, CJ McCollum played a huge part in that, averaging 18.7 points and 4.1 assists per game after the deal. However, McCollum is set to enter free agency this offseason and there’s no guarantee he’ll be back. Mitchell would be more than a replacement for McCollum; he’d be an upgrade. The question is if the Cavs would prefer McCollum (which would require a sign-and-trade), the polarizing Jonathan Kuminga or Atlanta’s top 2026 draft pick as the principal return.
Brooklyn Nets
Mitchell has constantly been linked to the New York Knicks but it’s difficult to see him meshing well with Jalen Brunson on the court. With that in mind, the Brooklyn Nets are the NY-based team that makes sense for Mitchell. For starters, they have no starting guard that will take away his touches like Brunson would. Furthermore, Mitchell and Michael Porter Jr. will have shades of the Nets’ Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant tag team. Though that era ended abruptly, the problem was primarily outside the lines. In any case, Cleveland would eye Brooklyn’s horde of draft picks.
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls don’t know if they want to compete for titles or draft position right now. For a franchise that’s synonymous with hoops icon Michael Jordan, that doesn’t sit right with a lot of people. That being said, trading for Mitchell would signal that they’re quite serious about restoring their reputation. With scoring guards like Sexton and Anfernee Simons preparing to hit free agency, they’re in a better position to help the Cavaliers replace Mitchell than other teams. They also have two top-15 picks in a relatively deep 2026 NBA Draft.
Miami Heat
Similar to the Knicks, Mitchell has been connected to the Miami Heat multiple times over the years. However, while he may have a power struggle with Brunson, he’s unlikely to have the same issue in South Beach. For one, at least one of Tyler Herro or Norman Powell would be traded in this deal. Additionally, it’s Bam Adebayo who’s the team’s focal point. Bearing that in mind, though Herro and Powell are both capable of scoring 20+ points per game, neither do it with Mitchell’s ease. If Cleveland can add Herro or Powell along with Andrew Wiggins or Kel’el Ware, it’s a good move.
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings have rapidly devolved into their 2008–2012 form. There’s not one singular move that’ll lead them down the path of redemption but they can get on the right track by trading for Mitchell. He’s far better than Russell Westbrook at this stage of his career. He’s not a defensive-stopper but he plays with much more pride at that end than Zach LaVine. On top of that, he’s actually a real threat beyond the arc, unlike DeMar DeRozan. Ironically though, the player that the Cavs might want most in this deal is Domantas Sabonis, an offensive fulcrum at center.
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