Tag Archives: Donovan Mitchell

Where are Cavs guards predicted to be ranked after 2023-24?

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Where are Cavs guards Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell predicted to be ranked at the end of the 2023-24 season? The staff over at Bleacher Report ranked where they think the top guards will finish for the upcoming season. Both Garland and Mitchell made the list.

Coming in at 18 is Garland.

“Garland has the mechanics to become one of the best three-point shooters in the NBA and is coming off a career-high 41.0 percent mark from deep overall and 44.0 percent on catch-and-shoot looks.“

Garland showed flashes of what he could be before last season. Taking over as the main ball-handler for the Cavs after Collin Sexton went down due to a season-ending injury, Garland found a way to unlock some skills that were going overlooked. This was just a preview of what was to come as Garland looks even better when paired with Mitchell.

Speaking of Mitchell, he finds himself inside the top 10 at number nine.

“At his best, Mitchell could be the best shooting guard in the NBA this season. At his worst, he’s still in the top three to five overall as someone who can score in isolation, run the pick-and-roll or finish in transition. His combination of speed, strength and shooting is everything you can ask for in a guard, one who’s yet to hit his peak.”

Mitchell is one of the best players in the league, and his rank as a Top-10 guard is indicative of that. There is a reason why the Cavs made the move to acquire Mitchell. The soon-to-be 27-year-old showed why plenty of times in his first year in Cleveland.

Garland and Mitchell are the two most important players on the Cavs currently. If Cleveland is going to get where they want to go, it will be on these two to get things done. They have plenty of talent, and the supporting cast is improved. Big things are expected for this team in 2023-24, and the future of one of the two players mentioned here depends on it. Find a way to succeed, and Mitchell extends his stay. Fall short again, and Mitchell could be on his way out of town.

Another insane mock trade involving Donovan Mitchell

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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.

Knicks guard chimes in on Donovan Mitchell rumors

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Current New York Knicks point guard and longtime friend of Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Brunson, discussed the trade rumors with Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Brunson mentioned the frequency and availability of the rumors involving Mitchell headed to New York. Additionally, Brunson said that he was happy with his current teammates, but that was to be expected.

It’s impossible not to see things—rumors and all the stuff that comes up on Twitter and all that stuff every single day is always on TV. There’s always possibilities when you hear about that stuff. Donovan is a good friend of mine for a while. We were in the same high school class, our relationship goes back a long way. I think right now, I’m more than happy with my guys, and I love my teammates.”

Jalen Brunson

The most notable of these rumors and speculation is that of the temper tantrum-throwing Tim Bontemps. Bontemps plays all the hits as he openly campaigns for the Cavs to trade Donovan Mitchell to the Knicks. What also is not helping matters are ridiculous mock trades that make more sense for the Knicks than Cavs.

Cleveland is expected to make the playoffs this season and advance further this time around. In order for that to happen, the Cavs will need big-time contributions from Donovan Mitchell. Because of this, do not expect the rumors and speculation about Mitchell to end any time soon. This will carry on all season and into the offseason in the exact same manner as it did during LeBron James’ two stints in Cleveland. Like James before, Mitchell has endured similar treatment from those on a national level. Trying to find a way to get him out of town and into their preferred destination.

At some point, all of this will come to an end. The Cavaliers will either find a way to convince Mitchell to extend his stay in Cleveland or they will end up trading him, appeasing the nonsensical ramblings of those who cannot fathom the idea of a star player wanting to stay in Northeast Ohio.

Cavs trade Donovan Mitchell to Knicks in ridiculous mock trade

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As if there was not already enough unnecessary trade speculation involving Donovan Mitchell, we now have a mock trade. This one comes from James Piercey of NBA Analysis Network and has the Cavs sending Mitchell to the Knicks (shocker). The mock trade is as follows.

New York receives Donovan Mitchell.
Cleveland receives RJ Barrett, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Quentin Grimes, in addition to New York’s 2026, 2028, and 2030 first-round draft picks.

Jesus tapdancing Christ, what are we doing here?

The only way a trade like this would be considered from Cleveland’s perspective is Donovan Mitchell straight-up requested a trade to the Knicks. That’s it. Cleveland made multiple moves in the offseason to improve their supporting cast in order to make a deep postseason. They are very much invested in being competitive this season and a trade such as this one would make them further from rather than closer to that.

RJ Barrett is a good player, but Donovan Mitchell is better. This is an undeniable fact. Too much stock is being put into one playoff series that saw the entire Cavaliers team play poorly. There would be one positive in this swap and that is Barrett being under contract for four more seasons while Mitchell’s deal expires after the 2024-25 season. This is assuming he declines his player option for the 2025-26 season which is a near certainty.

The hypothetical addition of Grimes is interesting due to his ability to shoot the three. However, the Cavs sought out help this offseason in order to address that very issue. Max Strus’ 197 made three-pointers ranked 21st and Georges Niang’s 154 was 48th. Where did Grimes finish? Just three spots ahead of Niang with three more three-point makes. Taking this into consideration the appeal sort of dissipates just a bit.

A big man and draft picks

As far as Hartenstein is concerned, Cleveland already had him once. There is not really a reason to bring him back at this time. And to be fair, his inclusion in the deal is just to make the money work as the author admitted in the brief blurb regarding Hartenstein. Additionally, it was noted that Cleveland may not want Hartenstein.

One quick thing about the draft picks. The Knicks are supposed to be good right? So the likelihood that these end up being lottery picks is incredibly small. An argument could be made that the Cavs could use them to acquire a superstar-type player. But they did that already by sending picks and players to Utah for Donovan Mitchell. Why would they go down the same road they have previously and perform a literal repeat? The answer is they wouldn’t.

There is simply no reason for the Cavs to entertain this hypothetical trade package for Donovan Mitchell at this time.

Is Donovan Mitchell a Top 5 shooting guard?

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Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Donovan Mitchell is among the upper echelon of players in the league, this is a fact. But where does Mitchell rank when compared to the rest of the league’s shooting guards? Is he in the Top 5? That answer appears to be yes.

Frank Urbina from HoopsHype places the Cavs’ guard as the third-best in the NBA. Ahead of Mitchell on this list are Anthony Edwards (second) and Devin Booker (first). This is not exactly anything to get worked up about as both are deserving of their respective positions. Urbina was both complimentary, noting his fourth straight All-Star appearance and earning second-team All-NBA honors. But there is some criticism about how the Cavs’ playoff run came to an end.

“The Cavaliers overall had a good regular season, going 51-31 and making the playoffs as the East’s No. 4 seed, but were unceremoniously eliminated in five games by the New York Knicks in round one at least in part due to Mitchell’s shot-chucking style of play going cold in the postseason.“

Frank Urbina on Donovan Mitchell

Urbina made sure to mention that Donovan Mitchell has played better in previous postseasons and that should be the expectation moving forward. Going into full panic mode about Cleveland’s postseason exit was always a foolish endeavor. The Cavaliers were clearly outmatched and received a physical beatdown as Mitchell’s teammate Darius Garland noted previously. Additionally, the Cavs did not have a proper supporting cast last year and the hope is their issues have been rectified.

It will be tough for Donovan Mitchell to move up this list given that Edwards and Booker are two of the best players in the league, much less their position. Although holding steady is more than acceptable given Mitchell’s current spot on this list. As long as Mitchell is able to play at the same level it should bode well for the Cavaliers moving forward.

Cavs crack Top 10 in ESPN Power Ranking

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Are the Cleveland Cavaliers a Top 10 team in the NBA? ESPN seems to think so as they have the Cavs just making the cut in their post-offseason power rankings. A group including Kendra Andrews, crybaby Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Andrew Lopez, Tim McMahon, Dave McMenamin, and Ohm Youngmisuk was consulted when putting together this list. This group ultimately has Cleveland ranked ninth in the NBA. McMenamin provided the information on the Cavs’ entry.

After the franchise’s momentum was stalled with a first-round flameout against New York, the Cavs have had a strong offseason — from adding Max Strus and Georges Niang to rookie Emoni Bates looking like a potential steal in Cleveland’s run to the summer league championship. Still, the biggest question remains if the team can make enough strides next season to convince Donovan Mitchell to extend and make The Land his home. 

Dave McMenamin on the Cavs

The only team in the Central Division to be ranked higher than Cleveland is Milwaukee (2) and rightfully so. The Bucks finished with the best record in the NBA last season and are considered to be on the short list of elite teams. Cleveland is on their way to that level, although a sizeable gap remains currently.

Expectations are high in Cleveland as the Cavs are expected to go from postseason participant to true contender. The front office identified areas of need and hopefully found solutions as noted above. There are some concerns about the length of Donovan Mitchell’s stay in Cleveland, but that is not anything to get worked up about at the current moment. The current focus is on improving now and putting together a deeper postseason run. After that is when working on an extension for Mitchell becomes their top priority.

When to expect a possible Donovan Mitchell extension

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What is the expected timeline for contract extension talks between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Donovan Mitchell?

The future of Donovan Mitchell in Cleveland has been one of two recurring topics this offseason, (the other being trade rumors involving Jarrett Allen). While there is no genuine information at this time about a potential departure, that not has stopped speculation from those in other larger markets.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst made an appearance Monday on NBA Today, providing some insight into the situation.

I don’t think under any circumstances he was ever considering extending this season, and I think the Cavs knew that when they traded for him

Brian Windhorst on Donovan Mitchell

Windhorst would also add that it is next year when should be any sort of pressure to sign Mitchell to an extension. Even though it would be a bit comforting to have a resolution sooner rather than later, there is no need to panic as of yet. The Cavaliers have been reportedly “rolling out the red carpet” for Donovan Mitchell and this is a process that takes time.

This does appear to be unwelcome news for perpetual crybaby Tim Bontemps. Bontemps has been campaigning all summer for the Cavaliers to trade Donovan Mitchell. There could be a time when the Cavs are put in a position where it would be wise to trade Mitchell, but it doe not appear to be coming any time soon.

Cavs “rolling out the red carpet” for Donovan Mitchell

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The Cleveland Cavaliers are doing everything they can to convince Donovan Mitchell to stay with the organization.

Despite the almost non-stop pleas from ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, the Cleveland Cavaliers are not looking to trade Donovan Mitchell “today” as he requested. In fact, they are taking an approach that was embraced by George Costanza known as The Opposite.

According to a recent report, the Cavs are going above and beyond to make sure that Donovan Mitchell is happy.

They’re doing their best to reconfigure things around him and just keep rolling out the red carpet, making sure he knows he is taking care of, all of that

Additionally, it was noted that the team is not looking to give up on Mitchell’s time in Cleveland after just one season. The Cavs made this trade by giving up several players and draft picks. There is absolutely no reason for them to pull the plug on their current roster configuration. The decision to trade for Mitchell was made with the intention that he would be here for the long haul. Giving up after a single season would be a rather epic level of mismanagement.

The Cavaliers have made several moves to bolster their depth this offseason. A much improved supporting cast in Cleveland should make things a bit easier for everyone, including Mitchell. The Cavs improving their talent level combined with a deeper postseason should result in Mitchell being more open to staying. That is as long as this season goes the way most expect.

Bontemps is free to whine like a petulant child about how the Cavs should trade Donovan Mitchell all he wants. It may be best for him (and others) not to get his hopes up though. Cleveland is looking to take steps forward and trading Mitchell would be counterproductive. As long as the Cavs look to compete, expect Mitchell to be in Cleveland.

Analyst doubles down on unnecessary Donovan Mitchell speculation

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It is another day in the NBA offseason that features unnecessary speculation about the future of Donovan Mitchell in Cleveland.

A conversation between ESPN’s Tim McMahon, Tim Bontemps, and Brian Windhorst produced some interesting and superfluous quotes. First up is Bontemps.

…I don’t think there’s any chance he signs an extension there ever. And if it was up to me, I would trade Donvan Mitchell today…they’ll get a lot more for him w/ 2 summers left than they will w/ 1…Now I also am fully aware that’s not what they’re gonna do and I understand why…

Tim Bontemps on Donovan Mitchell

If that name sounds familar that is because it is. Bontemps also spread some very premature trade speculation about Donovan Mitchell not too long ago. This just appears to be a continuance of his previous stance.

Windhorst would add the following tidbit.

…This Fall when Donovan doesn’t extend…I’m sure he’ll get asked about it at Media Day & I’m sure he’ll have a very good answer & maybe even a hedge answer, & um, that’ll be interesting…

Brian Windorst on Donovan Mitchell

Again, also unnecessary. However most of any non-LeBron coverage of the Cavs from good old Windy is pretty much useless anyway.

The important takeaway is considering the source of where these quotes are coming from. Bontemps clearly has an agenda he is clearly pushing. An agenda that features Donovan Mitchell not extending his time in a Cavaliers uniform. And as afar as Windhorst is concerned, that was addressed above.

Is there a world where Donovan Mitchell does not remain in Cleveland? Sure. But there is also a world where Mitchell signs a contract extension at some point and remains with the Cavs. The issue is that only one side of this conversation is currently getting national attention and anyone familiar with Cleveland sports knows it is not the one that sees a star player stay.

Cavs rebuild has taken time, but worth the wait

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It has not been an easy path in the second post-LeBron Jame era, but the Cleveland Cavaliers have finally got themselves back on the right track. There has been quite a bit of trial and error but a series of moves over the past year or so have the Cavs to sort through some redundancies on the roster and get them in a much better spot moving forward.

2022’s offseason set the table

It all started with the trade which saw Cleveland land Donovan Mitchell in exchange for Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Ogbaji, and draft picks. While Markkanen did have a career-year in Utah, that simply would not have happened with the Cavs had they not acquired Mitchell. Darius Garland and Sexton would be the primary options while Evan Mobley would have continued his growth in addition to getting decent contributions from Jarrett Allen. There simply would not be enough touches for Markkanen in Cleveland had he remained a Cavalier.

2023-24 is when the Cavs should ascend to the next level

Continuing their process from the previous offseason, Cleveland moved on from some more players who simply had no future here. The Cavs traded Cedi Osman and Lamar Stevens in exchange for Max Strus in a three-team sign-and-trade. This was another example of Cleveland identifying players that were not going to be able to carve out a signifiant role in a competitive Cavaliers squad.

Strus should slide into the starting lineup while Isaac Okoro should be a competent three-point and defensive specialist off the bench (as long his three-point shooting continue to improve). Bringing in Damian Jones, Ty Jerome, and Georges Niang in addition to re-signing Caris LeVert and drafting Emoni Bates should solidify their bench group. The decision to add this group of players to their existing bench of Okoro, Ricky Rubio, and Dean Wade was made with the intention of improving their second unit.

It has always been about the big picture

There is a reason why the Cavs were so eager to make the moves they have in recent years. The players they traded in 2022 for Mitchell are fine, but they are more of the complimentary variety. Cleveland needed a clear number one scoring option as they did not have one. Sexton and Markkanen are fine, but are not what the Cavaliers needed.

A good front office is able to identify when they can no longer bank on potential. While Sexton, Markkanen, and Ogbaji had plenty of potential, the team was going to go nowhere with them on the roster. Treading water and continuing to be irrelevant is a death sentence no matter the sport. If Koby Altman did not make any moves there is a very good chance he is not currently still the general manager of the Cavaliers.

The trades for Mitchell and Strus highlight the big moves Cleveland believes will bring them closer to rather than further from a championship. There will more than likely be more moves at some point during the season, but the foundation and framework appear to be in place. It will be about making minor moves and slight roster adjustments moving forward, the hallmarks of a team that is genuinely ready to compete.