Donovan Mitchell Trade Rumors: Cavs 'Have Shown No Inclination' to Discuss Deals

The Cleveland Cavaliers are in the playoff race with Donovan Mitchell under contract for at least one more full season after this one and reportedly have no interest in exploring potential trades involving the star guard.

ESPN's Zach Lowe reported the Cavaliers "have shown no inclination to discuss Mitchell trades at this point," which is something "that might not change unless Mitchell expresses some imminent unhappiness in Cleveland."

This echoes a report from Jake Fischer that said the Cavaliers are "not prepared to consider" trading the Louisville product.

Mitchell has a player option for the 2025-26 campaign, and Fischer pointed out there has been "incessant chatter among rival executives that" he could eventually leave to join either the New York Knicks or Brooklyn Nets.

Yet that apparently hasn't convinced Cleveland to start looking for deals.

Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, they could be facing something of an uphill battle in the Eastern Conference during what may be a short window to compete with Mitchell. They announced last Friday that Darius Garland will miss at least four weeks because of a fractured jaw. What's more, Evan Mobley will be sidelined for six to eight weeks because of arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

Those are the two primary pieces around Mitchell, so the team will have to tread water in the meantime.

Cleveland is 16-13 and in seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings. It reached the playoffs as the No. 4 seed last season just to lose to the Knicks in the first round in five games in rather stunning fashion.

Trading Mitchell to the Knicks or someone else would give the Cavaliers the chance to add talented pieces around Garland and Mobley with an eye on the future, but it would also greatly reduce their chances of competing for this season and next.

Mitchell is a four-time All-Star and the team's go-to option who averaged a career-best 28.3 points per game in 2022-23, which was his first season in Cleveland. He has followed by averaging 27.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game in 2023-24.

There isn't much urgency for Cleveland to trade him at this point since it could always do so next season if things don't go according to plan, so interested suitors may have to wait.