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The Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers have been involved in separate trade talks regarding their respective picks in the 2024 NBA draft.
According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the Cavaliers are receiving “plenty of inbound calls” from teams picking near the end of the first round that are looking to move up to Cleveland’s No. 20 overall spot.
Fischer also noted that the Heat are viewed as a “possible move-up team” and could be involved if the Memphis Grizzlies decide to trade down from the No. 9 pick. Miami currently owns the No. 15 selection.
After hiring Kenny Atkinson as the team’s new head coach on Monday, Cleveland could decide to trade back and gather more assets for a potential trade to build around star guard Donovan Mitchell. Shams Charania, Joe Vardon, and Jason Lloyd of The Athletic reported on Monday that Cavaliers executives were “set to present” Mitchell with a four-year maximum contract worth $209 million.
With Cleveland’s star guard seemingly close to locking up his long-term future with the organization, the front office may prioritize adding veteran contributors around him and building upon a second-round playoff appearance as opposed to adding a first-round rookie.
As for the Heat, they’re focusing on the contract situation of Jimmy Butler as well as the draft. Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reported in May that Butler was expected to seek a two-year extension worth around $113 million from the team.
While team president Pat Riley will need to manage Butler’s desire for an extension, he also has decisions to make with the No. 15 and No. 43 picks in the draft. One potential first-round target could be Colorado forward Tristan Da Silva, as ESPN’s Jeremy Woo reported that the Heat were among the teams interested in him.
He may be just above Miami’s current draft range, as he was selected with the No. 14 pick in the latest mock draft from Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman.
If Riley wants to ensure that the Heat end up with Da Silva, he may attempt to move up to Memphis’ spot at No. 9 on Wednesday.
