Donovan Mitchell continues to draw interest from Miami Heat

 Donovan Mitchell is drawing interest from the Miami Heat. The Cleveland Cavaliers star has another season left of his current $163 million contract, plus a player option for the 2025-26 season. He's likely to decline that option. Currently, there is no indication Mitchell will remain with Cleveland beyond his current contract. 

The lack of clarity regarding Mitchell's desire to remain in Cleveland is fueling speculation that he could potentially be traded before his deal is up. According to Marc Stein, writing in his SteinLine newsletter, the Miami Heat are willing to test the Cavaliers' resolve heading into the Feb. 8 trade deadline. 

"Pessimism persists about Cleveland’s chances of signing him (Mitchell) to a long-term contract extension," Stein reported. "...The Miami Heat, league sources say, continue to have bona fide interest in Mitchell despite Cleveland’s don’t-even-call-us approach and could well choose to test that resolve with Mitchell proposals after Miami’s trade pursuits of Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard over the summer ended with neither player landing on South Beach."

Mitchell's status as one of the best scorers in the NBA ensures he's a hot commodity around the league. His style of play and never-say-die attitude is also a perfect fit for the Heat and their style of play. His presence on Miami's roster would provide additional spacing for Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, allowing their two-man game to flourish. Most importantly, though, Mitchell would bring back a fear factor that hasn't been seen on South Beach since Dwyane Wade retired. 

The four-time All-Star has been playing at a high level this season. In 27 games, he's averaging 27.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists, shooting 45.5% from the field and 35% from 3-point range. Nevertheless, the Heat will likely have to remain patient. Unless Mitchell directly requests a trade, it's unlikely the Cavaliers will part with their star player midway through the season. 

As such, the Heat would be wise to keep their tradable assets until the summer. Then, they can make a stronger push for Mitchell, with him potentially entering the final year of his contract. Sooner or later, Cleveland's stance will have to soften. For now, though, they hold all the cards. That means Mitchell will likely see out the remainder of the season in Ohio.