NBA Rumors: In what is a surprise to no one, the Miami Heat is expected to pursue Donovan Mitchell if he hits the trade market.
While the Cleveland Cavaliers haven't been terribly bad this season, they also haven't been great. Heading into the season, the hope for the Cavs was that they would be able to take a step toward contention in the Eastern Conference. So far, that hasn't been the case.
The Cavs have been good but not good enough to be considered in the same tier as the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, or even Philadelphia 76ers. The Miami Heat, one of many teams perhaps, are keeping a close eye on the situation in Cleveland due to Donovan Mitchell's situation.
On his most recent podcast episode, NBA insider Brian Windhorst revealed that the Heat is expected to have interest and pursue Mitchell if he does find his way to the trade block in the next calendar year.
The Miami Heat have long coveted Donovan Mitchell
Of course, this is not that surprising considering the Heat was interested in Mitchell a couple of offseasons ago before he was traded to Cleveland. The New York Knicks were the other team that were close to acquiring Mitchell from the Jazz before he was eventually sent to the Cavs.
With Cleveland's current circumstances, the chances that we could see a bidding war for Mitchell ahead of this year's NBA Trade Deadline grew in a major way this week after it was announced that both Darius Garland and Evan Mobley would be missing extended time due to injuries.
Short of Mitchell carrying the Cavs over the next couple of months without many hiccups, Cleveland is going to have to make a big decision regarding its future. The fact that Mitchell can test free agency after next season doesn't make this decision any easier, especially considering he declined the opporotuinty to sign an extension with the team this past summer.
In the end, I'd be shocked if the Cavs shopped Mitchell at the deadline. Even though I do believe he'll eventually be traded, I believe it'll happen during the offseason, not in-season. And if that does end up happening, the Heat is probably going to be right there in the running to land him.
Whether they could beat out other trade offers from the likes of the Knicks and Brooklyn Nets remains to be seen, but it's clear that Miami may have their next superstar pursuit on the horizon. Is this finally the one that works out?