NBA Trade News: Miami Heat trade for Cavaliers $280m Super Star Forward.
Donovan Mitchell is at the center of trade rumors, with teams like the Knicks and Nets leading the charge.
If the Cavaliers do decide to trade Mitchell, the Miami Heat have the assets and need for a player like him, with Tyler Herro potentially being the centerpiece of a trade package.
Although Donovan Mitchell reaffirmed his commitment to the Cleveland Cavaliers and downplayed trade rumors when reporters first asked him earlier in December, that hasn’t stopped other teams from inquiring about his availability.
On the Dec. 18 episode of ESPN’s Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective podcast, the journalist revealed that he believed there would be a bidding war for Mitchell, with teams like the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets leading the charge.
Although they are the two most prevalent teams in discussions early on, Windhorst also mentioned that the Miami Heat and “at least two other teams” in the Southwest Division showed interest in trading for the 27-year-old guard.
Between early season shortcomings and a barrage of injuries to key players, the Cavaliers will have a difficult road up ahead if they want to both make and compete in the playoffs. With Darius Garland and Evan Mobley both missing, climbing their way to the top of the Eastern Conference won’t come easy.
Mitchell and Jarrett Allen have been left to pick up the pieces, but with the former not signed past the 2024-25 season, the Cavaliers have to decide on where they want the team to go.
In September 2022, they acquired the Utah Jazz expat for Lauri Markkanen, who himself has blossomed into a star on the trade block, and a slew of first-round picks. Given all they’ve given up to acquire him, they’ll need to match that haul if they ship him out.
While Windhorst believes the Cavaliers are better off keeping Mitchell, he still thinks multiple teams will be ready to empty their assets and depth to acquire him.
“The Knicks & Nets, two teams that are sort of riding on the line and those two teams where Donovan, I think, would have a good chance at re-signing. If they get into a bidding war, that could be interesting […] There’s probably more than three [teams] even, but yes, of course, the Heat.”
While he doesn’t explicitly say the Heat have begun negotiations, Miami’s need for more firepower is well-documented, especially given their relatively slow start to the season. The team was well into talks with the Portland Trail Blazers for Damian Lillard and then Jrue Holiday but came up short on both.
Mitchell’s contract isn’t hard to match in a trade
If the Cavaliers do indeed move forward with the possibility of trading Mitchell, the Heat won’t need to look far to match the salaries to take him on.
Beyond Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, the Heat don’t have anyone that would be deemed untouchable. If they do indeed want to get a significant upgrade, Miami will likely have to send Tyler Herro as the centerpiece, both because of his ability to score easily and his hefty contract.
Miami Heat – 2023-24 contracts
Jimmy Butler
$45.2 million
Bam Adebayo
$32.6 million
Kyle Lowry
$29.7 million
Tyler Herro
$27.0 million
Duncan Robinson
$18.2 million
As well, the Heat would have to include young pieces like Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic and some draft picks to make the value worth it for the Cavaliers. Given Cleveland’s lack of future draft capital — and their need to clear cap space — they hedge their bets on young players coming in to complement their current core.
This season, Mitchell is averaging 27.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game, while maintaining good-but-not-great efficiency. As it stands, he has to handle the brunt of the scoring in Cleveland since his co-stars are out for the foreseeable future, but he won’t be as pressured in Miami to carry the load each game.
Playing alongside Butler and Adebayo, he’ll be able to pick his spots more carefully and allow himself to play within a strong and consistent offense that so desperately needs another star.
It remains to be seen how active the Heat will actually be in the coming weeks, but given their 15-12 start, they need to net more wins if they want to make a run similar to that of the 2022 playoffs.
