Cavaliers Trade Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen In Wild Proposal

It's the NBA offseason, where crazy trade proposals will grace us all for the next several months.

Jan 7, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31), guard Donovan Mitchell (45) and guard Max Strus (1) celebrate in the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers probably aren't trading Donovan Mitchell or Jarrett Allen this summer. There was some legitimate chatter that they could move Allen earlier in the offseason, but Mitchell's affinity for the big man has almost surely put the kibosh on that.

The fact that the Cavaliers passed on versatile big man DaRon Holmes in the NBA Draft is further evidence that Cleveland will more than likely be holding on to Allen, too.

Barring a drastic turn of events, the Cavs will presumably retain their entire "core four" that includes Mitchell, Allen, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, but that won't stop people from speculating on potential trades in the coming weeks and months.

It is the NBA offseason, after all.

But how about this wild, blockbuster trade proposal?

Tyler Watts of Pelican Debrief has suggested a move where Cleveland sends Mitchell and Allen to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Larry Nance Jr., Dyson Daniels and three first-round draft picks.

To be fair, Watts called it a "dream" trade for the Pelicans, who could very well be in the market to jettison Ingram this summer. So, even he surely knows that the chances of this deal actually coming to fruition are about the same as LeBron James spurning Hollywood for the Bayou.

I will say that the three first-round draft picks could be enticing given Zion Williamson's persistent health issues and the fact that Mitchell almost certainly would not re-sign with the Pelicans once he becomes eligible to hit free agency next July, but the Cavaliers are past the point of trying to stock up on draft choices. They are trying to win now, and moving Mitchell and Allen for this return would absolutely not help them do that.

The general consensus is that Mitchell will be signing a contract extension with the Cavs sometime soon, so unless things go completely left in the midnight hour for whatever reason, the All-Star guard will be in a Cavaliers uniform come the season opener.