Lakers News: Daunting Hurdle for LA’s Donovan Mitchell Pursuit as $22 Million Threat Surfaces After Cavs Owner’s Refusal

The desperate craving for the Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell is on hold again, as the Lakers face a roadblock. First, the Cavs’ front office terminated coach JB Bickertsaff, who created favorable conditions for Mitchell to stay. Now, another hassle has got the Lakers scratching their heads, as the Rockets have statistically more chances than the Purple and Gold. Houston has off-season finances with the potential to acquire an explosive scorer like Mitchell!

This offseason, the Rockets have a $12.9 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception added with a $4.7 million biannual exception to use in free agency. However, the upper hand they are enjoying is the $4.5 million trade exception. On the contrary, the Lakers team comes with monetary relaxations applied with different conditions.

The prerequisite that the Lakers have to avail of a $12.9 million non-tax midlevel exception is that Russell should sign up for a new team instead of choosing his player option. However, the demerit that the Lakers team is having is that they don’t have a $4.7 million biannual exception. The Purple and Gold’s front office used the privilege last year to sign Taurean Prince.

Yet the chances of the Rockets having Donovan Mitchell are scarce. Though they have an advantage in numbers and on paper, the player is not expected to leave the Cavaliers. Recently, ESPN insiders also confirmed that Spida is happy wherever he is and is not willing to leave his current team. But the rumors are yet exploding in the NBA community regarding Mitchell’s trade. Therefore, Dan Gilbert crushed the rumors recently per sources.

The Cavaliers owner quashes Donovan Mitchell’s trade rumors

The Lakers are speculated to be the best and front runner to acquire Donovan Mitchell, who has an intense desire to get the NBA All-Star. Even Jovan Buha of The Athletic seems to have the same thinking as he confirmed it, too. But according to Hoops Wire sources, the Cavs owner, Dan Gilbert, “would never” trade Spida to the Lakers. Even NBA insiders via The Athletic confirmed that Donovan Mitchell might stay at the Cavaliers for more than three years.

There are speculations that Mitchell might sign an extension this summer with an expected compensation of around $200 million. However, if Spida does not take the extension, another option will be to trade next year. His team might trade him to another team before he becomes a free agent in 2025 summer.

This year, Mitchell has averaged 26.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 6.1 assists, delivering a marvelous season to the Cavaliers. No one wants to lose such an important player. The Cavs might also apply the same theory for Mitchell and keep him aloof from all teams this offseason.

What do you think? Do the Lakers have a chance to land Donovan Mitchell on their team?