Lakers Rumors: Donovan Mitchell Trade Preferred over Trae Young If LA Eyes Big 3

The Los Angeles Lakers would prioritize Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell over the Atlanta Hawks' Trae Young if they sought to build a new Big Three, according to The Athletic's Jovan Buha.

At the 38:40 mark in the newest episode of his Buha's Block podcast, Buha reported that Mitchell "would be the preferred guy" in a blockbuster swap, contrasting that with how Young and Hawks teammate Dejounte Murray were previously linked.

A level of clarity should come soon regarding Mitchell's future with the Cavaliers.

The five-time All-Star is entering the final guaranteed year of his contract, and the Cavs almost have to trade him now if he tells the front office he'll opt out in 2025 and doesn't want to re-sign. Cleveland can't afford to lose him for nothing given what it gave up to acquire him in the first place.

Mitchell could wind up staying right where he is instead and penning a massive extension. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski recounted a conversation Thursday on NBA Countdown with the guard in which he said he's "happy in Cleveland" and has "been happy since I arrived in Cleveland."

Should the Lakers have to pursue other options, it will be fascinating to see how much they chase Young and whether they set their sights on a different Cavs guard.

In their postmortem for Cleveland's season, The Athletic's Shams Charania, Joe Vardon and Jason Lloyd reported Darius Garland's representatives could request he be traded if Mitchell pens a new contract.

On Thursday, Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer reported at the 41:28 mark on No Cap Room that "a lot of teams will have Darius Garland ranked above Trae Young on their board of wish lists."

The annual salary cost with Garland is a little lower than that of Young. He's a year younger than the three-time All-Star. And Fischer said Garland has shown himself to be a little more malleable after having shared a backcourt with Mitchell.

This isn't the first indicator we've had that Young's stock could be slipping, either. In April, NBA insider Marc Stein reported that "there is a growing belief in many corners of the league that Atlanta's preference would actually be shopping Young" rather than Murray. Fischer echoed that reporting earlier this month.

It would be another telling sign if the Lakers and other teams were more aggressive in targeting Garland over a player who has put up better numbers with more individual accolades to this point.