NBA rumors: Pelicans emerge as potential Donovan Mitchell trade suitor

The Pelicans and the Cavs are looking like ideal trade partners with Donovan Mitchell’s future still up in the air.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are expected to be one of the teams that helps dictate the flow of the 2024 NBA offseason. After all, wholesale changes may be coming to the Cavs after an inescapable sense of disappointment appears to be plaguing the franchise at the moment. And the New Orleans Pelicans are among the teams monitoring the situation closely.

Donovan Mitchell’s future, in particular, is a hot topic of interest around the league, as he is entering the final year of his contract and it’s unclear if he’ll be staying in Cleveland for the long haul. It has long been rumored that Mitchell is angling for an eventual move to a big market team, which means that it’s possible that he won’t be signing an extension with the Cavs.

If that ends up being the case, the Cavs might decide to trade away Mitchell to recoup some of the value they gave up in their trade for him two years ago. And the Pelicans, per ESPN’s Zach Lowe via Evan Sidery of Forbes, “are a potential team to monitor” in the Mitchell sweepstakes.

The Pelicans are facing some tough decisions of their own this offseason. Jonas Valanciunas is likely to walk in free agency, while Brandon Ingram, like Donovan Mitchell, is entering the final year of his contract as well. This makes the Pelicans and Cavs ideal trade partners, especially when New Orleans has also reportedly shown interest in Jarrett Allen.

Will the Pelicans and Cavs swap stars?

With Brandon Ingram likely to depart the Pelicans this offseason via trade, and the Cavs having to deal away Donovan Mitchell in the event that he decides not to sign an extension, it looks like the stars are aligning for the two teams, as a swap centered around those two could work. With the Pelicans, it might be time for Mitchell to function as his team’s lead guard, while Ingram fills the Cavs’ need for a shot creator on the wing.

Moreover, the Pelicans could expand the trade to include Jarrett Allen, although at this point, it will have to take a pretty penny to pry him away given that he’s under contract for just $20 million for the next two seasons. But the framework of a deal is there — it’s up to the Pelicans to meet the Cavs’ price if Cleveland does end up selling off a few of their most important roster pieces.

For the Cavs, trading Mitchell and Allen away is a sign of faith in Darius Garland and Evan Mobley’s ability to lead the team. Garland’s camp has reportedly grown frustrated with being set aside to accommodate Mitchell, while Mobley, despite improving his three-point shot, still projects as a long-term center in today’s NBA.

Meanwhile, the Pelicans may have CJ McCollum at the point, but Donovan Mitchell is an upgrade over him in every way. Mitchell could then slot in alongside Herb Jones in the backcourt, with Trey Murphy ready to assume a starting role at the three. The center position is a question mark, but at the very least, the team will have Larry Nance Jr. around as a contingency plan.