5 Stars the Toronto Raptors could deal for this summer: Trade or Fade?

No. 2: Donovan Mitchell

The Cleveland Cavaliers are going to be facing a dilemna this summer no matter how their postseason ends; at the time of writing they are hours away from a Game 7 showdown with the Orlando Magic, but even if they win and advance to face the Boston Celtics their season is likely going to end in disappointment.

Then come the decisions; Donovan Mitchell will be just one year out from free agency and is unlikely to sign an extension to commit to the Cavaliers this far out. Do they risk going into next season and hope to convince him to re-sign? Or do they look to trade him this summer and recoup some of the prodigious cost they paid to add him in the first place?

If Mitchell is on the block, the Toronto Raptors could very well pick up the phone and see what the cost is. Immanuel Quickley is a better defender than Darius Garland, so the pairing is not as ill-fated as it appears to be with Mitchell and Garland, and Scottie Barnes provides a lot of versatility in how the Raptors' offense would be built. He would give the Raptors a true plus scorer of the kind they have not had since Kawhi Leonard left. He is also young enough that he would remain in his prime as Barnes and Quickley enter the height of their powers.

The problem with trading for Mitchell, however, is that he could walk away from Toronto just as easily as Cleveland. If Masai Ujiri could get some assurances from Mitchell and his camp that they would re-sign in Toronto this deal could make sense; without that, however, the cost and risk would be too great.

Verdict: Trade (maybe)