The Cavs’ Donovan Mitchell situation compared to the Bucks’ with Giannis
The The Cleveland Cavaliers have been reeling recently The NBA world trading Darius Garland to the Los Angeles Clippers replacement for James Hardenaccording to Shams Charani of ESPN. The move is a clear move by the Cavaliers to land a future Hall of Famer, cutting ties with Garland in the midst of his own injury-riddled season in the process.
The move also indicates Cleveland’s desperation to keep its star quarterback Donovan Mitchell in the long run, most recently secured by NBA insider Jake Fisher more context on that front.
“…with Mitchell becoming eligible for an extension this summer, there was a growing fear that another failed postseason for the Cavaliers — who recently went a very disappointing 22-19 — could lead to a disaster scenario where Mitchell turns down (a new contract),” Fisher reported at the urging of Marc Stein.
“People don’t realize that the Cavs are in the same position with Donovan as the Bucks are with Giannis,” one front office executive said, per Fisher.
Indeed, the Milwaukee Bucks have done everything over the past few years to keep Antetokounmpo happy in Milwaukee, including giving up and extending Damian Lillard’s contract to bring in Myles Turner last offseason. While that experiment didn’t go as planned, the Cavaliers hope that trading for Harden will ultimately allow them to compete for a championship and keep Mitchell around for the long haul.
“Having a player option for the 2027-28 season, Mitchell could become an unrestricted free agent as early as the summer of 2027,” Fisher pointed out.
The Cavaliers have been playing somewhat improved basketball of late, and trading Harden could be just what they need to give themselves another shot at the standings.
However, trading for James Harden in hopes of improving your chances of doing well in the playoffs is an interesting choice to say the least.
2026-02-04 17:49:00
