The Golden State Warriors hope to be aggressive in adding an elite player alongside Steph Curry this summer for one or two more deep playoff runs, but the dream of adding two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo might be a bit too big to ever become reality.
However, the acquisition of a first-team All-NBA caliber performer like guard Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers is not as far-fetched.
“Mitchell is young enough (or close to it) for the Warriors to peddle him as their ticket to immediate contention and bridge into the future,” Dan Favale of Bleacher Report wrote Tuesday, May 19. “They should cross their fingers for the Cleveland Cavaliers flame out of the Eastern Conference Finals and open themselves up to an offseason roster-razing.”
As of Thursday night, the Cavs are down 0-2 to the New York Knicks in the ECF heading back to Cleveland for Game 3 on Saturday. The Cavaliers blew a 22-point lead with just eight minutes to play in Game 1 and are approaching sweep territory following a 16-point blowout Thursday night.
Donovan Mitchell, Steph Curry Would Be Among Best Offensive Backcourts in NBA
GettyDonovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Cleveland suffering a sweep, or a loss in a short series that doesn’t prove particularly competitive, doesn’t mean Mitchell will be on the block or that he might end up in Golden State. However, it would improve the odds.
Exactly where the Warriors will want/try to go on the open market is not clear — aside from the obvious pursuit of Antetokounmpo, whom the Milwaukee Bucks are actively shopping and about whom nearly every team is likely to inquire.
Mitchell would create one of the most fearsome offensive backcourts in the league alongside Curry. A first-team All-NBA selection in 2024-25, and potential/likely second-team choice this season, Mitchell averaged 27.9 points, 5.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per night on 48 percent shooting from the field and 36.4 percent from behind the 3-point line on nearly nine attempts per game.
Though he will probably never win the MVP award, Mitchell has finished in between 5th-7th in voting for that honor in three of the past four seasons, including 2025-26 (7th). Meanwhile, Curry is a two-time MVP who continues playing at an All-Star level. He averaged 26.6 points, 4.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds on 46.8 percent shooting and 39.3 percent from deep on 11.3 tries per contest last season.
Warriors Would Have to Include Jimmy Butler in Donovan Mitchell Trade
GettyJimmy Butler III of the Golden State Warriors.
Curry’s 3-point shooting should allow his game to continue to age well, even into his age-39 campaign next year. The superstar point guard has one year remaining on his contract, though both he and the team have expressed interest in an extension this summer that could approach $140 million total over two extra years.
Meanwhile, Mitchell will play next season at. He has just two more years on his $150 million contract, including a player option in 2027-28.
The hitch is that the only viable pathway to a trade is to include Jimmy Butler, whom the Warriors owe $56.8 million next year, or there is essentially no way to make the money work. The Cavaliers would have to be interested in what Butler can give them coming off an ACL tear and entering his age-37 season. Either that, or the Warriors and Cavs would have to involve a third team.
Golden State would no doubt have to include draft capital of some sort, likely at least one first-round pick, to procure an All-NBA-caliber player in Mitchell for an aging superstar in Butler who is coming off an injury and in the decline of his career.
The reason Cleveland might be inclined to listen is that Mitchell can leave of his own accord after next season, at which point the team would get nothing in return.
If the Cavaliers could get a pick back, plus Butler to infuse some defense and toughness for one year in 2026-27, that might make some sense. Butler will also become an expiring contract they can deal at the deadline or move off and clear $57 million in salary cap space in summer 2027, which might be intriguing.
Warriors Trade Pitch Pairs Steph Curry With $150 Million First-Team All-NBA Guard