Another day and another hypothetical trade proposal that involves Cavs star Donovan Mitchell on the move. The trade, which appears in an article on King James Gospel, has a handful of players changing teams.
Cleveland would receive Damian Lillard from Portland while Miami lands Donovan Mitchell. Portland’s return would be Tyler Herro, Isaac Okoro, Jaime Jaques, Nikola Jovic, three first-round picks, and two pick swaps.
This is a lot to sort through.
First off, thankfully it does have Mitchell ending up on the Knicks. Pretty sure everyone has seen enough of those for a lifetime and then some. As far as the actual trade is concerned, it is a doozy. Anything involving Lillard at this point will be shut down by the league. Miami’s involvement, even though they do not land him in this mock deal, would result in immediate red flags.
Lillard ending up in Cleveland is an interesting proposition. Darius Garland and former Cavs guard Collin Sexton were tabbed as the next potential Lillard-CJ McCollum. McCollum has since moved on to New Orleans while Sexton’s career has not developed. The issue is that Garland and Mitchell may be a better pairing than Garland and Lillard
Donovan Mitchell going to Miami would improve an already impressive starting lineup. Mitchell would be a part of easily the most talented team he has been on up to this point in his career, and the Heat would be on the shortlist of true title contenders.
For Portland, they are in full rebuild mode so acquiring the volume of picks makes all the sense in the world. Herro is someone they can build around if they choose to or flip for more future assets, the latter option seeming to be the preferred route for a team in their current position.
At the end of the day, this is a fun trade to shake things up, as there is no reason for the Cavs to find themselves in a deal such as this one.
