ESPN Insider Believes Donovan Mitchell Is A Name To Watch At Next Year's Trade Deadline

ESPN's Tim Bontemps believes that Donovan Mitchell could be traded if the Cleveland Cavaliers do not meet expectations next season.

Here we go again. 

Cleveland Cavaliers fans just can't seem to escape the trade rumors that have engulfed this offseason. It started with Donovan Mitchell, then shifted to Jarrett Allen, moved next to Darius Garland of all players, and now we are back to Spida.

The All-Star shooting guard was incredibly public about his love for New York and playing in Madison Square Garden shortly after Cleveland was eliminated by the Knicks in the playoffs. Unsurprisingly, this rubbed some fans the wrong way and they started to question his dedication and loyalty to playing in a Cavs uniform.

Brian Windhorst shut down any rumors that Koby Altman and the Cavaliers organization were planning on moving on from Mitchell, but that hasn't stopped many to continue to speculate about his future. 

 ESPN's Tim Bontemps believes that Mitchell's name is one to watch if the Cavs aren't meeting expectations next season. This is what he had to say:

Donovan Mitchell. Cleveland has to try to prove over the next year it's worth having Mitchell sign up long term, or they'll have to consider moving him with a year left on his deal next offseason. If the Cavaliers struggle next season, Mitchell's name could come up.

A couple of things to point out here. 

One, Cleveland has made a number of moves this offseason that should, in theory, make them a better team by spacing out the floor. It'll take time, but a slow start or rough patch shouldn't lead to trading Mitchell midseason. 

Second, the 2024 trade deadline is a long way out and Mitchell still has two more full years of team control left before he can opt out of his player option. However, it appears that these trade rumors of Mitchell heading to a new team won't slow down anytime soon. 

Buckle up Cavs fans. 

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