$163 Million Star Listed As Lakers ‘Top’ Offseason Trade Target

The Los Angeles Lakers will miss the NBA Finals again and the front office is ready for a shakeup. The Lakers are expected to make at least one trade move in the offseason and have been linked with a familiar target.

Zach Buckley from Bleacher Report mentioned Donovan Mitchell as the biggest trade target for the Lakers this offseason.

“If the Cavs are anything other than certain of Mitchell’s future with them, they almost have to field trade offers for him,” Buckley wrote on April 30. “Considering all they gave up to get him, watching him leave for nothing next summer would be an unmitigated disaster.

“If Cleveland winds up hearing overtures on Mitchell, L.A. be ready to make an aggressive pitch. His quantity-plus-quality scoring, shot-creation and secondary playmaking would all be valuable assets in L.A. The Lakers have been looking for someone to take the offensive burden off of James’ shoulders, and Mitchell seems the best equipped to do that among all of the realistic trade candidates.”

Lakers have a chance to trade for a talented player in the offseason

Getting Mitchell would be a great deal for the Lakers. He showed impressive performance in his seven years in the NBA. Mitchell averaged 26.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 6.1 assists this past season and made the All-Star game for the fifth time in his career.

If the Lakers trade for him, Mitchell will elevate the Lakers scoring game. He will become the third player behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis in an instant.

Mitchell will enter the final year of his deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2025-26 season. If Cleveland decides to part ways with him, the Lakers won’t waste any time. They will face serious competition though.

“As discussed here on multiple occasions, Mitchell will be entering the final guaranteed year of his current contract next season if there’s no extension, leading to a growing belief among rival teams that the Cavaliers will be forced to trade Mitchell in coming months if they cannot come to terms with him an extension,” Stein wrote.

Donovan Mitchell remained non-committal on signing an extension with the Cavs after Dan Gilbert's comments:

"I got a lot of things to focus on outside of that right now… So, I’ll handle that when it comes… I'm gonna give you the same answer."

(Video via @CavsInsider_FN) pic.twitter.com/pDbU5PpzAJ

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) March 30, 2024

Mitchell is not really concerned about his contract situation and didn’t reveal much about it.