If the Miami Heat end up pivoting away from a Giannis Antetokounmpo chase this offseason, Donovan Mitchell is likely going to emerge as the next superstar trade target they're going to strongly pursue. As a star player whom the Heat have been interested in before, it'd be surprising if he wasn't already on their current radar.
That's because Mitchell just has one guaranteed year left on his contract before he can opt out of his deal (after the 2026-27 season) with the Cleveland Cavaliers. In most cases, that means Mitchell will either sign a long-term extension with the Cavs this summer or begin to explore what his future may hold beyond Cleveland.
Of course, the Heat hopes that Mitchell's future could include them. Especially if Giannis is "off the table" or "unattainable" for the Heat this summer.
Mitchell notoriously expressed interest in the Heat before he was ultimately traded to the Cavs a few years ago, and is reportedly close with Bam Adebayo. With the Heat in desperate need of a star player to rejuvenate the franchise, there's reason to believe that Mitchell could be exactly what Miami needs in a "plan B" to Giannis.
How aggressive will the Heat pursue a star player?
The big question, of course, for the Heat heading into the summer is whether they're going to strongly pivot if/when it becomes apparent that Giannis is not a realistic option for the team.
In theory, I do suppose that much of that will depend on whether or not there's another superstar that becomes "available" this summer. For the Heat specifically, does Mitchell, an obvious and sensible "plan B," become a viable pivot for the team?
As much as the Heat have been fooled by these pipe dreams before, there's reason to believe that Mitchell would be a much more realistic target for them than Giannis.
There are reasons why both Mitchell and the Cavs could be ready for a change. His contract certainly lines up for one. And if this is something he's interested in, the Heat would almost certainly be on the short list of teams that would make sense for him, and one that would be willing to go all-in on him.
Mitchell lines up perfectly with Bam's timeline, and the one the Heat much rather desires.
Deep down, Miami doesn't want to lean into a long rebuild. An acquisition of Mitchell would expedite that. What makes this possibility most realistic is the fact that the Heat may finally have the assets it takes to close one of these superstar pursuits.
Once the offseason arrives, the Heat could get to the point where they could trade up to four first-round picks in a deal. I don't think Miami would want to send four picks in a deal to Cleveland for Mitchell, but if they wanted, they could.
As great as it would be for the Heat to acquire Giannis this summer, that just doesn't seem like a very realistic possibility. The Heat's front office should already be planning their pivot away from Giannis, if they're not entirely there yet. And Mitchell should be atop their list of next superstars they intend to pursue.