NBA Rumors: The Cleveland Cavaliers could end up shaking up their roster with a bold non-Donovan Mitchell trade this offseason.
Even though the Cleveland Cavaliers' season didn't end in a run to the Eastern Conference Finals, there is still much the franchise should feel good about heading into the offseason. The biggest of which revolves around the encouraging signs that Donovan Mitchell could be prepared to sign a long-term extension with the team.
While that still very much remains up in the air, despite the recent optimism, Cleveland has to already be thinking about potential scenarios that could play out this offseason. One of which could revolve around the Cavs making other non-Mitchell changes to their roster via trade.
According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the Cavs could enter the offseason with the intention of trading Jarrett Allen in an attempt to upgrade the roster in other ways. If this report is indeed accurate, it will lead many to believe that Cleveland feels strongly about Mobley's continued progression as a big and that he could take over the reins as the team's starting center. Furthermore, it points to the possibility of a big summer for the Cavs, in a way that has nothing to do with moving on from Mitchell.
Could the Cleveland Cavaliers be preparing to retool the supporting cast around Donovan Mitchell?
Look at it this way: if Mitchell does end up signing a long-term extension with the team, which is beginning to gain more and more traction, there's a chance the Cavs could pivot toward trading Darius Garland and/or Allen this offseason in a way to restructure the roster around Mitchell.
That would be a stark change to the narrative surrounding the Cavs heading into the start of the season. As the summer quickly approaches, the overwhelming thought is that the Cavs will be forced to trade Mitchell. However, there's now at least a non-zero chance that Cleveland ends up re-signing Mitchell to a long-term extension and then exploring trading other core pieces of their roster.
It'll be interesting to see how it all unfolds for the Cavs this summer. One thing is for sure, there will be plenty of teams keeping a close eye on the situation unfolding in Cleveland. At this point, the Cavs are likely going to play a big factor in the NBA offseason one way or another. There's a very good chance Cleveland's roster will look very different at the start of next season than it looks at the moment.