Donovan Mitchell's Reported Roster Influence Blocking Trade for All-Star
The Cleveland Cavaliers are one of the most interesting teams in the NBA this offseason. After getting bounced in the second round by the Boston Celtics, the Cavs decided to part ways with J.B. Bickerstaff after five seasons with the team.
The Cavs ended up hiring Kenny Atkinson to be the lead man and are expected to offer Donovan Mitchell a four-year, $209 million extension.
Even with Mitchell likely to return, the Cavs still need to make some tweaks to this roster. They are expected to keep the 'core four' together. Mitchell has expressed that he loves playing with center Jarrett Allen and doesn't want him gone.
His admiration for Allen may cause the Cavs to miss out on an All-Star from being added to the team.
There’s plenty of trade activity to come, just like Detroit’s deal for Tim Hardaway Jr. that we had to scrap from what was filed last night! More on the shaping offseason landscape @YahooSports: https://t.co/4e2SdvkL3k
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) June 28, 2024
Cavs Rumors: Cavaliers Have Interest in Brandon Ingram
According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the Cavaliers have been mentioned around the league as a team that could have interest in New Orleans forward Brandon Ingram but some roadblocks are holding the team back.
"Cleveland continues to be mentioned by league personnel as a possible alternative for Ingram, but there’s no straightforward path to making such a deal work with the Cavaliers. While Cleveland holds interest in Ingram and values his skillset, sources said, Cavs personnel have maintained a reluctance to breaking up the team’s core of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, as NBA figures continue preparing for Mitchell to sign a lucrative extension. Without parting with Allen, who’s long been on New Orleans’ radar, it’s difficult to find a path to bring Ingram to Northeast Ohio."
- Jake Fischer
It sounds like if Cleveland includes Allen in a deal with New Orleans, they could be able to acquire Ingram but that will be difficult to do.
The Cavs want to make sure Mitchell is happy since he's their star player. Would he still want to stay around if they shipped out Allen, someone he's vouched for? That's a slippery slope for Cleveland but Ingram would be a great fit alongside Mitchell.
Ingram is a smooth three-level scorer, who averages 19.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists per game in his career. He also shoots 36% from beyond the arc.
With Mitchell's love for Allen, it doesn't sound like this would happen but it's something they should seriously consider.
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