According to NBA insider Bill Reiter of CBS Sports, the Los Angeles Lakers believe they can trade for Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Donovan Mitchell this summer.
The Lakers may not make a big trade this season so they can save their assets for Mitchell.
According to NBA insider Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the Lakers have discussed pursuing a trade for Mitchell and Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young this offseason. Young has the same agent (Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group) as Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, while Mitchell has a player option worth $37.1 million for the 2025-26 season.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers Updates
“The Lakers currently have only one future first-round pick available to trade, but starting on the day of the NBA draft, they’ll have three: 2031, 2029 and either 2024 or 2025, depending on whether New Orleans chooses to use the 2024 pick it previously received from L.A. or defers it to the next draft,” McMenamin wrote. “The Lakers have discussed internally the possibility of packaging three picks, along with players they already have on their books, to pursue a bona fide star, such as Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers or Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks, team sources told ESPN.”
Mitchell is one of the best players in the NBA. He’s averaging 28.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists this season while shooting 47.1% from the field, 35.4% from beyond the arc and 85.7% from the free-throw line.
The Cavaliers will not trade Mitchell unless the five-time All-Star requests a trade. Mitchell also doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers Updates
Mitchell has career averages of 24.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists with the Utah Jazz and Cavaliers. He was the 13th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft out of Louisville.
The last time the Lakers made a blockbuster trade, they acquired Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards in August 2021. That deal backfired, as LAL went 56-74 with Westbrook in the lineup, but Mitchell would be a better fit next to LeBron and Davis than Westbrook was since he’s a reliable perimeter shooter.
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