The Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly planning to ride the season out with Donovan Mitchell despite recent trade buzz.
“As of right now — again, things are fluid this time of year — my impression from talking to league sources is that the Cleveland Cavaliers are planning to ride out this season with Mitchell,” Sam Vecenie wrote.
Earlier this month, a report surfaced that the Miami Heat continue to have heavy interest in acquiring the 27-year-old.
Mitchell — who is in his second season playing for the Cavaliers organization — is averaging 27.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game while shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from outside the 3-point arc. He’s made 28 appearances with Cleveland so far in the 2023-24 regular season.
The guard is fresh off one of his best performances of the season. In the Cavaliers’ most recent game against the Brooklyn Nets on Jan. 11, he scored a whopping 45 points while shooting 15-of-30 from the field and 4-of-12 from behind the 3-point arc in 41 minutes of playing time. Plus, Mitchell chipped in 12 rebounds, six assists and four steals in a game the Cavaliers went on to win by nine points to improve their record to 22-15 on the season.
The Cavaliers now sit as the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference and are just two games behind the Philadelphia 76ers for the conference’s No. 3 seed.
Cleveland is riding a four-game winning streak and has lost just one game since the start of the new year, with that loss coming against the Toronto Raptors back on Jan. 1. The Cavaliers lost by three points behind a 36-point performance from Pascal Siakam.
The Cavaliers’ next chance to extend their winning streak will come when they take on the Chicago Bulls at home on Monday. The Bulls beat the San Antonio Spurs by six points in their most recent game on Jan. 13 after losing to the Golden State Warriors at home the day before.
Considering the Cavaliers have arguably been playing their best basketball of the season as of late and are climbing up the Eastern Conference standings, it makes sense as to why the team is allegedly planning on riding out the remainder of the season with Mitchell on the roster.
