Heat Believed To Be High on Donovan Mitchell’s List of Possible Trade Destinations

Highlights

The Cavaliers bounced back in Game 2 with a 118-94 victory, securing home court advantage for the Eastern Conference.
Star guard Donovan Mitchell led the way with 29 points in the win, but the speculation around his future remains a major talking point.
With Mitchell’s future in Cleveland a question mark, rumors of a potential trade, particularly to the Miami Heat have swirled.

After getting steamrolled by the Boston Celtics in Game 1, 120-95, the pressure was on for the Cleveland Cavaliers to perform with a sense of urgency in Game 2, and they stepped up to the plate.

Following the one-sided result in Game 1, the Cavaliers bounced back in Game 2 en route to a 118-94 road victory to take home court advantage for the Eastern Conference’s top seed. They did so behind a well-rounded effort, featuring all five starters scoring in double figures.

Not surprisingly, it was star guard Donovan Mitchell who led the way, scorign 29 points on 10-of-19 shooting and 5-of-7 from beyond the arc in the victory.

Much of the Cavaliers’ future may depend on their performance this postseason, as Mitchell continues to put up big numbers. Racking up 33 points in Game 1, Mitchell has been absolutely exceptional in the postseason as a whole, but it has not amounted to much.

The Cavaliers struggled to eliminate the young and upcoming Orlando Magic, and they were largely dependent on Mitchell throughout the series. Though he has been phenomenal, averaging almost 30 points, many of his teammates have failed to step up to the plate.

In turn, it’s only fueled the trade speculation surrounding Mitchell and his future in Cleveland.

Donovan Mitchell Believed to Have Heat ‘High’ on List of Possible Destinations

Could a second-round exit lead to Mitchell seriously considering his future elsewhere?

Many have speculated that Mitchell could be on his way out the door this off-season if the Cavs don’t show any signs of improvement around him. Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus released an article proposing a four-team trade that would send Mitchell to the Miami Heat and reunite Jimmy Butler with Joel Embiid on the Philadelphia 76ers.

But the most interesting aspect was one tidbit that Pincus dropped was a report that Mitchell has the Heat “high on his list of destinations.”

Of all the NBA guards, Mitchell may be the closest to Heat legend and Hall-of-Famer Dwyane Wade. He will be 28 before next season (seven years younger than Butler). He has a strong relationship with Bam Adebayo and is said (by multiple NBA insiders) to have Miami high on his list of destinations.

Though it’s unlikely that Mitchell would join the Heat without Butler, the idea of him being traded this summer is far from a stretch.

The Celtics and the Cavs are now even at 1-1 after the Cavaliers took Game 2 in Boston and fans aren’t the only ones locked in on this series. NBA executives across the league will likely be watching this series closely, looking for the slightest sign that Mitchell could be on a different team this offseason.