71 sats \ 11 replies \ @Undisciplined OP 9 Jan \ on: NBA Trade Season Contest Stacker_Sports
I'm going to take Donovan Mitchell to the Miami Heat.
The trade is actually way more straight forward than I thought it could be: Mitchell for Herro and Caleb Martin, plus two first round picks.
Mitchell is the proven playoff scorer that the Heat have been missing. Herro can largely replace Mitchell's production for the Cavs, plus he's still very young and can potentially grow into more alongside Garland. Martin is exactly the kind of athletic two-way wing the Cavs have been missing.
Note: thanks to @grayruby for pledging to fund my reward if I happen to get this right.
Woah.
I thought I was spicy picking spicy P in a blockbuster 6 player deal to Indy.
I think my sats are safe. Mitchell isn't getting traded.
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If the DeRozan Leonard trade showed you anything, it's that you can be the franchise player, want to stay, loved by fans and teammates, and still get traded. No trade is off the table in this league. And Mitchell to the Cavs is far from what DeRozan was to the Raps.
That being said, I don't think Mitchell is a good fit in Miami. Both Mitchell and Butler are ball dominant players and need the ball to thrive. Bringing Mitchell to Miami will end up under utilizing his potential, while at the same time taking away Butler's time with the ball.
I think it's safe to assume the Heat wants to build around Butler and he has become their franchise player. Butler needs an elite spot up shooter that can step up in big moments to win. Which is probably why they were salivating all over Dame when he asked to leave Portland.
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The theory from Heat reporters and fans, is that they actually want to look towards building around Bam. They're thinking of Mitchell as an upgrade of the Herro/Lowry spot.
There's also a desire to lighten the offensive burden on Jimmy, which frees him up to do more of everything else he's great at and preserves him for the playoffs now that he's getting older.
I'd rather see the Heat go after guys like Caruso who are great complementary guys.
Also, don't forget that Pat Riley is a big game hunter.
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When you put it like that, I guess this trade has merit. But I still don't think Mitchell and Butler will play well together. It's as if they take away one another's game instead of complimenting it. We shall see how this goes... But I do agree that Mitchell will not be staying with the Cavs for very much longer, I just don't know which team he will be headed to.
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Why not? The worst kept secret in the league is that he's not going to resign with the Cavs and their season's been derailed by injuries to Mobley and Garland.
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NBA teams usually start freaking out about this stuff pretty early, plus he and Garland aren't a great fit, since neither plays defense.
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I didn't even realize they were playing tonight. The Lakers have been a real downer to watch lately, so I'll probably get caught up in the morning.