NBA champion Paul Pierce envisions a potential situation where his previous opponent, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, ends his career in Cleveland with his son Bronny.
Pierce mentioned, “If [the Lakers] underperform and lose in the play-in, I would contemplate — if I were LeBron — being traded back to Cleveland for Donovan Mitchell,” during the “Undisputed” show on April 9. “Donovan Mitchell doesn’t want to be there. We’re not seeing signs he wants to re-sign. Bronny gets picked up by Cleveland and Bron has his farewell world tour with his son in that last year. I can see a possible scenario like that happening.”
The Lakers are currently in ninth place in the West as they head into the final week of the regular season. If they remain at No. 9, they will face a more challenging path to contention.
The Lakers accomplished this last season, emerging from the play-in to reach the Western Conference Finals.
However, this time, they will encounter a much more difficult field in the play-in tournament. The 10th-seed Golden State Warriors await them in the play-in opener. And if they survive the Warriors, they will face the loser between the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings in the other bracket to advance to the playoffs against the top seed in the West in the first round.
Possible LeBron James-Donovan Mitchell Trade
For Pierce’s trade proposition to come to fruition, James would need to pick up his $51.4 million player option and seek a trade with the assurance that the Cavaliers would select Bronny.
The Cavaliers only have one pick in June’s two-day NBA Draft, projected to be at No. 19, according to Tankathon. Bronny’s name has not appeared in any mock drafts. Bronny applied for the 2024 NBA Draft and also entered the NCAA transfer portal after a disappointing freshman season at USC. He will have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 29 to decide whether he stays in the draft or returns to college.
Cleveland would also need to add more contracts for salary-matching purposes. The Cavaliers are also out of future first-round pick/s to send to the Lakers if they would ask for additional draft compensation.
Lakers Named as Possible Donovan Mitchell Destination
The Lakers have their sights on Mitchell, but not at the expense of James as Pierce has suggested.
In January, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that the Lakers had talks about trading for Mitchell if he becomes available.
“The Lakers have discussed internally the possibility of packaging three picks, along with players they already have on their books, to pursue a bona fide star, such as Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers or Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks, team sources told ESPN,” McMenamin wrote on January 23.
Lakers general manager and vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka affirmed that they are seeking a significant trade this summer after standing pat at the February 8 trade deadline.
“We didn’t want to shoot a small bullet now that would only lead to very marginal improvement at the expense of making a much bigger and more impactful movement potentially in June and July,” Pelinka told reporters via Lakers Nation after the trade deadline on February 8.
It's possible that Donovan Mitchell will be up for grabs this summer.
Mitchell might be the next big player to become open for offers as soon as this summer, as stated by Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus.
“According to NBA insiders, unless there's a chance for the NBA Finals, Mitchell is likely to reject an extension and seek other opportunities. It's suggested that the Cavaliers will probably trade him before he becomes a free agent,” Pincus explained on April 5.
Mitchell still hasn't committed to an extension even after Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert expressed confidence in a new deal being inevitable.
“Right now, I have other priorities to focus on,” Mitchell told reporters on March 30. “I'll deal with that when the time comes.”
The Cavaliers have gone 2-4 since Gilbert told the Associated Press, “We believe he will sign a new contract.”
If the 27-year-old Mitchell turns down an extension this summer, he will enter the last guaranteed year of his $163 million five-year deal next season. The Lakers will be one of the main teams interested in recruiting him if the Cavaliers make him available.
