NBA rumors: Donovan Mitchell window open for Lakers, Wiggins offseason trade, Knicks buyout target

NBA rumors: Lakers could be frontrunners to trade for Donovan Mitchell

The NBA's worst-kept secret is that Donovan Mitchell does not plan to sign an extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Depending on how Cleveland's campaign ends, the talented 27-year-old could hit the trade block in the offseason. The Cavs want to keep Mitchell around, but if he's restless and the team doesn't advance far, the writing is on the wall.

For ages, dating back to his first trade cycle, Mitchell has been connected to the New York Knicks. He wanted to play there before the Cavs trade. The Knicks, meanwhile, have been diligently stockpiling trade assets in search of the right star to complement Jalen Brunson.

The only problem? Well... Mitchell doesn't really complement Brunson. ESPN's Brian Windhorst recently went on First Take and iterated as much.

"I don't know if the Donovan Mitchell Knicks thing is really still a possibility... He's got to be looking at what Jalen Brunson has and feeling like, 'Damn. Like that could have been me.'"

The Knicks found their small lead guard All-Star in Brunson. Becky Hammon famously said the Knicks can't win a title with Brunson as their No. 1 star. Whether you agree or not, the track record for small guards in the postseason is... not great. Two small guards in the same backcourt pose even more problems, especially on defense, and especially in the playoffs. Teams hunt Brunson on switches all the time. Mitchell is built like a tank and he's a truly special athlete, but even he gets picked on.

Want an example? Who did the Knicks beat last postseason? Oh yeah, Cleveland, with Mitchell and Darius Garland in the backcourt.

New York would be smarter to sit tight and target either a versatile wing or a big. Joel Embiid was always a pipe dream, but there's a real case to be made that Karl-Anthony Towns is a better fit than Mitchell. Paul George is a free agent-to-be, the Kings could eventually split up Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox — that is where New York's attention should be, not on Mitchell.

That opens the door wide for the Los Angeles Lakers, who are known to be hunting stars in the offseason. Los Angeles very purposefully saved all its trade ammo at the deadline, forgoing immediate improvement with sights set on a major addition in the summer.

Trae Young is a popular hypothetical, but Mitchell could be even more attainable. Entering the final year of his contract, Mitchell will have more sway over his next destination. With how the league operates now, expect Mitchell to be vocal behind the scenes about his preferred destination(s). We can hazard a guess and say LA and Miami will be high on the list, along with New York. Expect Mitchell to gravitate toward the brightest lights.