Trade rumor rankings: Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell and more
Despite it being the dead of summer and basketball being fully on break, the NBA trade rumor machine does not stop.
Especially not with the trade requests of future Hall-of-Famers like Damian Lillard and James Harden still hanging in the balance. We might not be close to a trade for either but both are still situations that must be monitored for the foreseeable future.
Today, we’re back with another edition of our trade rumors ranking series, in which we rank the five players who have appeared most often on our trade page over the past week.
Let’s jump right into it.
Evan Fournier (New York)
A player who has been popping up in our trade rumors rankings series for months now is New York Knicks 2-guard Evan Fournier, a veteran in the NBA who can provide three-level scoring, perhaps best suited for a bench role at this point of his career.
His playing time really dwindled last season, however, likely due to his poor defense and sometimes-inefficient scoring, leading many, including Fournier, to believe his time in New York will come to an end this summer.
A team that is reportedly interested in Fournier is the San Antonio Spurs, a franchise that has had various great French players like Fournier on its roster in the past, and one that has just potentially drafted another one No. 1 overall, Victor Wembanyama.
According to SportsNet New York:
I have heard that a few teams – teams that seem like they could make the playoffs – have had interest in acquiring Evan Fournier. One other team that I am keeping an eye on is San Antonio. The Spurs are among those teams who have had interest in acquiring Fournier via trade. Unless they have changed course recently, the Knicks have been against attaching any additional draft compensation in a Fournier trade.
However, the article would go on to say that the Spurs, at the start of the offseason, had the cap space to simply absorb Fournier onto their books. That is no longer the case, though, meaning San Antonio would have to send New York a matching salary if it truly wants to add Fournier.
For what it’s worth, a couple of weeks ago, Fournier himself said it would be an honor to play for the Spurs:
But if he had the choice of his next NBA home, Fournier would enjoy bringing his talents to the Spurs and playing under coach Gregg Popovich. Also, playing alongside fellow Frenchman Wembanyama would be an added bonus. “It’s not the Spurs of 2014 anymore but playing for [Popovich], and learning from him, it would be a pleasure and an honor, for sure,” Fournier said. “Being with Victor, looking at the Olympics, being able to start chemistry on the court, that would be great.”
We’ll see if anything progresses between New York and San Antonio in the coming weeks with regard to Fournier.
For the latest Evan Fournier trade rumors, click here.
Clint Capela (Atlanta)
The Dallas Mavericks’ interest in Clint Capela has been well-documented for a long time and that interest has not dissipated this offseason.
That’s according to veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein, who recently said:
Marc Stein: The Mavericks don’t want to be done. Maybe they are done with this roster because further moves are not available to them. They would love if the chance to make another trade run at Clint Capela from the Atlanta Hawks materializes to this point. That opportunity has not availed itself to the Mavericks. But will Atlanta move Capela elsewhere which creates an opportunity for Dallas to try to get in as a third team? Or would they trade him somewhere to a team that really only needs him for contract purposes, salary cap matching purposes in the trade and then that team makes Capela available?
ESPN also reported earlier in the week that Capela is available for trade talks:
On his pod when having a discussion on the Cavs two big lineup and the value of centers on the market, Windy and MacMahon both mention that “Capela is on the (trade) block”
MacMahon also reiterates something we’ve heard multiple times that Dallas would love to have that kind of… pic.twitter.com/WPNoqydbU7
— Grant Shirley (@Grant_Shirley4) July 24, 2023
Around the playmaking of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, pick-and-roll finisher Capela would be a great fit, as his elite finishing in the paint, rim protection and defense would give the Mavericks a serious boost on both ends of the floor.
For the latest Clint Capela trade rumors, click here.
Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland)
Following the Cleveland Cavaliers’ trade for Donovan Mitchell, the expectation was that the star 2-guard had found his new long-term home. And although that might still be the case, that hasn’t stopped the Knicks’ smoke surrounding Mitchell to continue growing.
Just this week, SportsNet New York reported that the idea of Mitchell joining the Knicks down the line isn’t totally far-fetched:
It’s so far down the road that it’s impossible to know anything concrete about the situation. But based on what happened last summer, I don’t think the idea is far-fetched. Donovan Mitchell will be eligible for a contract extension with Cleveland, but I’d be surprised if he signed it; it makes more sense financially to forego the extension. Once a player like Mitchell gets near the end of his contract, anything is possible. But I wonder if the Knicks will wait another season to make their big trade. Can they afford to wait on the small possibility of landing a player in Mitchell’s situation? It’s risky. If you are a Knicks fan and you want Mitchell, I think the key here is how Cleveland plays in the next two seasons. If they compete for Finals trips, it’s logical to assume Mitchell is much more likely to stay in Cleveland.
An ESPN reporter went even further, saying he doesn’t ever foresee Mitchell signing another contract with the Cavaliers:
“I don’t think there’s any chance he signs an extension there ever, and if it was up to me I would trade Donovan Mitchell today,” Bontemps said on “The Hoop Collective Podcast.” “I don’t think the Cavs are getting as far as they hope to next year, and I don’t think he’s gonna extend, and I think they’ll get a lot more for him with two summers left than they will with one summer left.” “Now I also am fully aware that’s not what they’re gonna do and I understand why they’re not gonna do it … but me personally I think it’s more likely they are going to lose in the first round than they win two rounds, and in that scenario, I don’t really see any world where Donovan Mitchell wants to stay there after next season.”
Obviously, just saying I would trade Donovan Mitchell today is easier than actually being in Cleveland’s shoes and making such an enormous decision merely one season after giving up so much to land the former Louisville standout. Plus, who’s to say Mitchell really has no intention of making Cleveland the long-term home for his playing career?
Either way, the Cavaliers are certainly in a tricky spot, and another first-round playoff exit could muddy the waters of their future even more. Still, this is a decision likely at least one year away; we don’t expect to see another Mitchell trade so soon.
For the latest Donovan Mitchell trade rumors, click here.
James Harden (Philadelphia)
It’s been weeks since Harden’s trade request and we still have no idea where he’s going to land or if the Philadelphia 76ers will even grant his request.
The latest on the matter, courtesy of ESPN, indicates that Sixers decision-maker Daryl Morey won’t trade Harden for anything that will hinder Philadelphia’s championship chances for 2023-24, meaning a team won’t land Harden for draft assets and low-level young players:
Per Ramona Shelburne on “NBA Today”: I think the Sixers have been pretty clear in that they’re going to entertain conversations for James Harden because he has asked them to and Daryl Morey’s relationship with James Harden goes back so far and they’ve done a lot of things together in this league that he feels like he owes it to him to entertain trade conversations, but he’s also made it very clear we’re not going to trade James Harden for anything less than a player that they think puts them on the same percentage to win a championship and in Philly, they have this ‘What is your percentage to win a championship with the roster that you have?’
What’s more, even the team Harden is reportedly set on landing on, the Los Angeles Clippers, have been “unserious” about trading for the bearded star so far, according to the Philly Voice:
Even the Clippers, Harden’s preferred destination, have been fairly unserious about what they’re willing to give up in order to acquire him. The prevailing sentiment seems to be that Harden is still valued, but on the team’s terms, which is a shift from the franchise-defining clout Harden had at his peak.
That tracks with what was reported just one week prior by Sports Illustrated, that the Clippers didn’t even want to lose young swingman Terance Mann, who averaged 8.8 points last season, in exchange for Harden.
With offers that low so far, it’s hard to see Harden getting moved anytime soon.
For the latest James Harden trade rumors, click here.
Damian Lillard (Portland)
The Lillard trade saga has been so back and forth recently, with the NBA itself even getting involved and sending out a memo to all 30 teams warning of potential collusion after Lillard’s agent publicly said his client only wants to play for the Miami Heat next season.
The NBA’s memo has reportedly not changed Lillard’s motivation in wanting to end up in Miami but to this point, the Blazers have not shown an inclination to trade their superstar to the Heat – and have even reportedly been acting disinterested in negotiating with Miami.
Perhaps that is why the Heat’s exact trade offer for Lillard – three-to-four first-round picks and one of the team’s young players, with Tyler Herro going to a third team – was leaked to The Athletic recently, perhaps by Miami itself.
The likeliest outcome appears to remain that Lillard ends up in Miami – who else is going to offer more than the Heat to trade for a 33-year-old guard who might show up disgruntled and will earn $63.2 million in 2026-27? – but at this point, we might be waiting for a while for that to happen.
For the latest Damian Lillard trade rumors, click here.
