Donovan Mitchell did all he could yet the Cleveland Cavaliers looked overmatched in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series as the Boston Celtics steamrolled to a 120-95 victory on Tuesday, May 7, at TD Garden.
Mitchell fired 39 points but drew little help from the rest of the Cavaliers, an ominous sign that they are not yet ready to compete which fuels the speculations surrounding the five-time All-Star guard’s future in Cleveland.
If the Cavaliers would go on to lose in this series, which appears inevitable after the Game 1 drubbing, they will have tough decisions to make this summer.
Before Mitchell could leave them for nothing after next season, Bleacher Report’s salary cap guru Eric Pincus proposed a four-team trade that would net them his replacement and recoup some draft assets.
Miami Heat get: Donovan Mitchell (from Cavaliers), Kyle Kuzma (from Wizards), $13.4 million trade exception (Jimmy Butler), $2.5 million trade exception (Nikola Jović) & $2.3 million trade exception (Tyler Herro)
Cleveland Cavaliers get: Tyler Herro (from Heat), No. 15 pick (from Heat), 2026 Phoenix Suns second-round pick (from Wizards), 2028 LA Clippers first-round pick (from 76ers), 2030 first-round pick (from Heat – top-10 protected), $6.4 million trade exception (Mitchell) & $2.6 million trade exception (Ty Jerome)
Philadelphia 76ers get: Jimmy Butler (via Heat)
Washington Wizards get: Paul Reed Jr. (from 76ers), Nikola Jović (from Heat), Ty Jerome (from Cavaliers), No. 16 pick (from 76ers), 2026 (TBD) first-round pick (from 76ers) & $23.5 million trade exception (Kuzma)
Tyler Herro Fits Cavaliers’ Young Core Timeline
This trade looks underwhelming for the Cavaliers based on what they gave up to acquire Mitchell from the Utah Jazz two years ago. But they will not have any ounce of leverage if Mitchell do not sign an extension this summer.
Herro is three years younger than Mitchell and will have time to develop with Darius Garland and Evan Mobley.
“Herro would slot into Mitchell’s position on the Cavaliers’ rotation on a cost-controlled contract. He’s not cheap, but Cleveland can field a competitive roster without entering the luxury tax. That includes keeping restricted free agent Isaac Okoro if both sides can agree to terms at a salary starting near $10-13 million.
Is Herro as good as Mitchell? No, but he’s better than letting Mitchell walk after a year with nothing in return. And the Cavaliers add the No. 15 pick in June, along with compensation to make up for some of what was sent to Utah (two additional firsts and a second),” Pincus wrote.
Summer of Uncertainty
Mitchell is widely believed to leave Cleveland unless they win the Eastern Conference this season, according to Pincus.
“The buzz in NBA circles suggests that barring a run to the NBA Finals, Mitchell will decline an extension and look elsewhere, and the Cavaliers are more likely than not to move him well before he can leave outright as a free agent,” Pincus wrote on April 5.
Mitchell’s response to Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert’s confidence that his best player agreeing to stay longer just made the situation more intense.
“I have many other important things to focus on right now,” Mitchell informed journalists on March 30. “So, I’ll deal with that when it happens.”
Two days earlier, Gilbert expressed certainty that Mitchell would remain a Cavalier for a long time.
“We’ve been in discussions with him, yes, for the past few years about extending this contract,” Gilbert told The Associated Press on Thursday, March 28. “We believe he will extend. I think if you listen to him talk, he loves the city.
He enjoys the situation in Cleveland because our players are very young and we’re in the process of building the core team, of which he is clearly the most important part.”
But according to Pincus, the Cavaliers star “is all but certain to turn down his $37.1 million player option for the 2025-26 season to explore unrestricted free agency next July.”
