Lakers News: Just-Eliminated Cavaliers Star Lists LA Among Ideal Trade Destinations

On Wednesday, the shorthanded Cleveland Cavaliers saw themselves eliminated from postseason contention in their second round playoff series against the favored Boston Celtics, 113-98. They finished the series 4-1.

Now, it appears could possible that extension-eligible veteran All-Star combo guard Donovan Mitchell, who missed the Cavs' last two contests in the series with a calf injury (All-Star center Jarrett Allen missed the whole series), could demand his way out of town this offseason.

According to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, the 6-foot-3 Louisville product would be very open to a move back West.

"It’s complicated, but then so are the Cavs right now," Lloyd writes. "They have their star to worry about in Mitchell, who has one season of team control left beyond this year. If Mitchell doesn’t sign an extension with Cleveland this summer, the Cavs will have to explore trade options — and one of the teams standing at the front of the line will be the Lakers."

Bill Reiter of CBS Sports reported ahead of the 2023-24 season trade deadline that Los Angeles believed strongly it could acquire Mitchell with its three available first round draft picks this summer. The team could use various veteran contracts to match Mitchell's $35.4 million salary for 2024-25. Rui Hachimura and, D'Angelo Russell could be enough.

Mitchell, a far better player on both sides of the ball, would represent a massive upgrade over Russell, and could be moved into a pure point guard role with the Lakers alongside 6-foot-5 shooting guard Austin Reaves. Would he raise L.A.'s ceiling to true title contention, with a roster that as of this writing will have $94.6 million committed to injury-prone, 30-plus-year-old All-Stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis? That's another question entirely.

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