The Los Angeles Lakers would acquire five-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell in a blockbuster trade proposal from Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report.
In the proposed trade, the Lakers would send Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino, a 2025 first-round pick, and a 2029 first-round pick.
“The Lakers should have interest in creating a Big Three of Mitchell, LeBron James and Anthony Davis and can put together a solid package of picks and players that would help keep the Cavs competitive. The move also restocks some of Cleveland’s picks still owed to the Utah Jazz.
“Austin Reaves, 25, is a natural replacement as the starting 2-guard for the Cavs and has averaged 16.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 55 starts for the Lakers this season. Hachimura, 26, is putting up 13.6 points and hitting 42.2 percent of his threes.”
Mitchell, 27 years old, is averaging 26.5 points per game for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Landing him would give the Lakers a third star to pair with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Mitchell Could Deny Player Option For 2025-26 Season
Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus reported on April 5 that “Mitchell is all but certain to decline his $37.1 million player option for the 2025-26 season.” Doing so would allow Mitchell to explore unrestricted free agency.
“However, Mitchell is all but certain to decline his $37.1 million player option for the 2025-26 season to explore unrestricted free agency next July. Mitchell could accept a maximum extension before then—one which multiple sources have indicated the Cavaliers would happily pay. But if he doesn’t, what then?
“The buzz in NBA circles suggests that barring a run to the NBA Finals, Mitchell will decline an extension and look elsewhere, and the Cavaliers are more likely than not to move him well before he can leave outright as a free agent.”
If Mitchell does plan to decline his $37.1 million player option, the Los Angeles Lakers would be able to sign him when he hits free agency that offseason. However, in the proposed deal from Swartz, the Lakers would land him this offseason in a trade.
The idea would be that the Cleveland Cavaliers trade him when they can to get a return for him instead of losing him for nothing if they don’t trade him.
Lakers Offseason Plans
The Los Angeles Lakers decided to stay put at the trade deadline this season, giving them assets to make a run for a superstar like Mitchell in the offseason.
Sam Amick, Anthony Slater, and Jovan Buha of The Athletic on February 14 wrote about the Lakers offseason plans, listing Mitchell as one of the three options they’re interested in, which included Kyrie Irving and Trae Young.
“The Lakers plan to continue their quest for a third star this summer, armed with as many as three first-round picks, four pick swaps and multiple second-round picks to make a compelling offer for any available star. According to team sources, the organization has discussed three names internally: Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell and Irving.”
For the Lakers, maximizing this championship window they still have with Davis and James should be a priority this offseason. James, 39 years old, is still averaging 25.5 points per game and can be a key piece to a championship team.
Davis has played the most games of his career since the 2018-19 season, averaging 24.5 points and 2.4 blocks per game.
Pairing them with Mitchell would form a lethal trio of scorers who can complement each other and score 25-plus points per night.
