When Donovan Mitchell was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers by the Utah Jazz prior to last NBA season, he turned the Cavs into an instant dark-horse team in the Eastern Conference. They finished with the fourth-best record in the East and got to the second round of the playoffs, where they fell to a more seasoned Miami Heat team.
Although so far this season, the Cavs are a solid 22-15 and in sixth place in the conference, there isn’t the same sense of optimism surrounding the team. There has been lots of talk that Mitchell will soon be leaving. He can become a free agent in the summer of 2025, and rumor has it he wants to play for the New York Knicks.
One executive in the league says that if the Cavs decide to give up on Murray and send him to the Knicks soon to get something in return, they could perhaps go after the Atlanta Hawks’ Dejounte Murray as a replacement.
“Finally — and I want to stress this is speculative (but interesting) — one league executive suggested keeping an eye on the Cavaliers in Murray talks if the Cavs decide they have to move Donovan Mitchell before the final year of his contract,” wrote Matt Moore. “(Mitchell has a player option for 2025-26, and there has been nothing but a barrage of reporting that Mitchell will not re-sign and prefers a New York team as his next home.)
“Murray would provide a replacement guard next to Darius Garland, and the Knicks would send the kind of assets Atlanta would want if they are indeed selling.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Donovan Mitchell, Dejounte Murray, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks Updates
Mitchell is originally from Westchester County, which is just minutes north of Manhattan, so going to the Knicks would represent going back to his native metropolitan area. In addition, the Knicks have been starving for a big-time star dating back about 20 years, and Mitchell could be exactly that for them.
He’s averaging 27.2 points and 5.7 assists a game this season, and he’s a noted big-game player whose career playoff scoring average is a full three points higher than his career regular season scoring average.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Donovan Mitchell, Dejounte Murray, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks Updates
As for Murray, he has been rumored to be on the trading block recently. Not only is he putting up 21.1 points and 5.0 assists a game, but he is an excellent defender, and at 6-foot-5, he has very good length for a guard.
If Mitchell will inevitably leave The Land, the Cavs will need to replace him with someone who isn’t far off in terms of talent and skill. Murray seems to fit that description.
