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Report: Lakers’ List of Offseason Targets Includes Donovan Mitchell

With three first-round draft picks in their quiver, the Lakers believe they have enough ammunition to make a splash in the offseason.  

While the Los Angeles Lakers were quiet at the NBA trade deadline, there’s some chatter that the team has aspirations to land another star this summer to pair with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

With three first-round draft picks in their quiver, the Lakers believe they have enough ammunition to make a splash in the offseason.

Donovan Mitchell is the latest name to be linked to the Lakers’ wish list.

Citing The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, CBS Sports is reporting that Kyrie Irving, Trae Young and Mitchell are potential targets for the Lakers.

This isn’t the first time that Irving has been mentioned as a potential target, and Los Angeles reportedly was in hot pursuit of Young’s backcourt partner, Dejounte Murrary, in recent weeks.

However, this is the first I’ve heard about their interest in Mitchell, who currently ranks fourth in the NBA with 28.5 points per game. January’s Eastern Conference Player of the Month ranks third in the NBA in steals.

As much as it would pain Cavaliers fans to see Mitchell go to the Knicks, it would be just as horrifying to see him playing alongside LeBron and AD. However, it seems unlikely at this point.

“If Mitchell was available, either because Cleveland wants to trade him or he asked to be dealt elsewhere, the New York Knicks would likely be the most aggressive team to land him, as they tried to get him when he asked out of Utah,” Jasmyn Wimbish wrote for CBS Sports. “The Knicks have been making incredibly savvy moves recently, are the No. 4 team in the East and are armed with draft picks to facilitate a trade of that magnitude. So the Lakers would have to put their best package out there if they want to contend with a team like the Knicks or the 76ers who can also put together a strong package to land a third star.”

The Cavaliers have expressed zero interest in trading Mitchell, and understandably so. They gave up a king’s ransom for Mitchell in 2022, trading Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji, Collin Sexton, three unprotected first-round picks and two pick swaps for the 6-3 shooting guard. And they’re the hottest team in the NBA right now with Mitchell leading the way.

Mitchell signed a max extension with Utah during the 2020 offseason. The 27-year-old could become a free agent at the end of the 2024-2025 season or exercise his player option for 2025-2026. The national media seems to think it’s a foregone conclusion that he’ll be long gone by 2025.

Photo by Erik Drost/Wikimedia Commons

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