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Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on during the third quarter against the New York Knicks in Game Four of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Rocket Arena.

It’s fair to say the Houston Rockets had a relatively disappointing 2025-26 season compared to their lofty expectations.

Last year’s No. 2 seed in the Western Conference was expected to be a contender with the addition of All-NBA scorer Kevin Durant.

Instead, they were the fifth seed and got beaten in six games by the Luka Doncic-less Los Angeles Lakers.

The Rockets now face some major questions entering the summer. How far away are they from true title contention?

Has the young core they’ve been developing the last few years hit its limit?

And can a 38-year-old Durant shoulder the burden of scoring entering his second season in Houston?

If the Rockets really want to take a step forward in 2026-27, they could swing for the fences and add another All-Star to the mix?

Rockets Trade Pitch Lands Donovan Mitchell

In a trade idea proposed by Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz, the Houston Rockets could try to work out a deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers for Donovan Mitchell.

Houston Rockets Receive: Donovan Mitchell

Cleveland Cavaliers Receive: Jabari Smith Jr., Reed Sheppard, Dorian Finney-Smith, 2027 first-round pick (via Phoenix Suns)

“If the Cavs don’t want to move Mitchell to an Eastern Conference team, the Rockets would be a strong trade partner. Poor guard play doomed Houston this season, a franchise that’s perhaps just one piece away from contending for a title,” wrote Swartz.

A starting five of Fred VanVleet, Mitchell, Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant and Alperen Şengün with Tari Eason (restricted free agent), Steven Adams and others is the making of a core that could challenge even the best in the West.”

The Rockets would certainly be giving up a hefty package to land Mitchell. Jabari Smith Jr. and Reed Sheppard are two of the young players Houston has been developing for several years now.

But both players, entering Year 5 and Year 3 respectively, haven’t made a big enough jump for the Rockets to be true bona fide contenders with them playing major roles.

Adding Mitchell, a player who can practically score at will as he’s proved over his nine-year NBA career, would take Houston’s offense to another level.

Will the Cavaliers Trade Donovan Mitchell?

The question isn’t really if the Houston Rockets would trade for Mitchell, but whether the Cleveland Cavaliers would part ways with their best player since LeBron James.

Entering the offseason, Mitchell has two years left on his contract, including a player option. On July 7, he’s eligible to sign a four-year, $272 million extension, and the Cavs have to decide if they want to continue building around the former Louisville standout.

Throughout Mitchell’s tenure, Cleveland has been a great regular-season team and routinely makes trips to the playoffs.

But they’ve always hit a clear limit, and even after making the Eastern Conference Finals this year, it just feels like this is as far as they can go.

If the Cavs want to start fresh and build around Evan Mobley, adding Smith Jr. and Sheppard to the mix wouldn’t be a bad young core to work with.