CLEVELAND, Ohio – From the moment the Cavs traded for Donovan Mitchell, you heard it …
Mitchell doesn’t want to play in Cleveland
Mitchell wants to play in New York.
Mitchell will never sign an extension with the Cavs.
Until he did, agreeing Tuesday to a deal that keeps him with the team for at least three more seasons.
Stories by Terry Pluto
Cavs fans, don’t you love it when so many in the national media are surprised when a star is willing to stay in Cleveland?
Don’t you savor those juicy moments when so many “experts” turn out to be wrong?
Even when local reports for the last few months were that Mitchell would sign some type of deal to stay with the Cavs, the doubts lingered.
Why would anyone want to stay in Cleveland? At least, that is the opinion of too many in major markets.
Cavs fans, you have another reason to celebrate with the decision made by Donovan Mitchell. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
Cleveland makes sense
Mitchell stayed because he made the best basketball and financial decision. He realized the Cavs are a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference with a core group of players in their middle 20s.
In Mitchell’s two seasons with the Cavs, they’ve had a 99-65 record. They made the 2023 playoffs, losing in the first round. They advanced to the second round in 2024.
Basketball-wise, it’s a good situation for the man who has had his two best seasons as a pro in Cleveland. He has a new coach in Kenny Atkinson, who impressed Mitchell when they met in Los Angeles over the weekend. There is reason for optimism.
New Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson and President Koby Altman met with Donovan Mitchell last weekend in Los Angeles. AP
About the contract
Now you’ll hear something like this: “Yes, Mitchell signed to play in Cleveland, but he didn’t take the full maximum contract.”
That’s true.
The Cavs took the $35 million left on his contract for 2024-25. Then they added two more years, making the total $150 million for three seasons.
Mitchell also has a player option for the 2027-28 season.
The Cavs would have preferred to give Mitchell the full maximum deal. That would mean taking the current 2024-25 contract and adding four additional seasons – for five total years.
Mitchell went with a shorter deal because it gives him more options, and he can make more money by hitting free agency sooner. LeBron James did that twice in his last stint with Cleveland.
I’m not going to sink into the salary cap swamp of millions and millions of dollars and why a smart agent makes a move like this. I’ll simply say it’s wise.
Meanwhile, don’t let the national talking heads try to convince you that the Cavs failed because the extension is shorter. Remember, many of them are still trying to figure out why Mitchell would stay here at all – they just don’t get it.
Koby Altman hit a home run when made the Donovan Mitchell trade. David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com
Gamble paid off
For the Cavs and their fans, this is reason to celebrate.
Team president Koby Altman made a major trade and a significant gamble in the summer of 2022. He sent three first-round picks (2025, 2027 and 2029) plus Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton and Ochai Agbaji to Utah for Mitchell.
Altman did it knowing Mitchell had three years remaining on his contract. But in reality, the Cavs had two years to convince Mitchell to sign an extension. If not, they’d be smart to trade him in the summer of 2024 rather than take a chance of losing him in free agency in 2025.
Well, it worked.
The Cavs have continued to improve with Mitchell. The 6-foot-3 guard is a solid citizen and a good leader, and he has embraced the Cavs and their fans.
In 10 playoff games, Mitchell averaged 29.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists. He shot 50% from the field, 34% from 3-point range.
Mitchell scored 89 points in the final two games of the Orlando series. He then delivered 62 points in the first two games of the Boston series before his season ended with a calf injury.
He is the second-best player in the history of the franchise since LeBron James.
And now, he’s staying, at least for a few more years.
Cavs fans, go ahead, take a deep breath … and smile.
And you can gloat a bit, too.
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