Cavs continue to tell rival teams that Donovan Mitchell is untouchable

January 25, 2024

Opposing teams will likely keep asking about Cleveland Cavaliers star guard Donovan Mitchell.

And the Cavs will keep telling them that Mitchell is not available, perhaps with some authority.

Mitchell has been the subject of trade speculation ever since it was revealed the Cavs would be missing injured point guard Darius Garland (jaw) and power forward Evan Mobley (knee) for a significant amount of time. At least, when those two went down, other teams started calling about Mitchell.

The Cavs told those teams they weren’t trading Mitchell then and are still telling them that today. This has been an ongoing process — teams call, the Cavs say no deal, teams call again.

“Regarding Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland keeps telling teams he’s not for sale,” NBA insider Michael Scotto said on the HoopsHype podcast. “You go down the list of stars around the league, and there aren’t a lot on the market.”

This follows a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who said the Cavs have been telling teams to “lose our number” when they ask about Mitchell. That may not be the exact line, but you get the idea.

The Cavs (26-16) just had an eight-game winning streak snapped in Wednesday’s road loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Mitchell, 27, is making $32.6 million this season. He is due $34.8 million next season and has a player option of $37.1 million for 2025-26.

He is averaging 27.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.9 steals, shooting 46.0 percent from the field and 34.2 percent on 3-pointers. He carries NBA career averages of 24.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.4 steals with the Cavs and Utah Jazz. That includes a career-high 71 points last season against the Chicago Bulls.

While outside fans and some members of the national media won’t let this story die, they are about to be disappointed. The Cavs aren’t trading Mitchell.