Video: Donovan Mitchell Talks Cavs Contract Extension, Laughs off NBA Trade Rumors
July 2, 2024
Many had predicted that Donovan Mitchell was a candidate to be traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers this offseason, but he dispelled those notions by reportedly agreeing to a three-year, $150.3 million maximum contract extension on Tuesday.
After agreeing to the deal, Mitchell addressed the trade rumors in an Instagram video, saying he never had any intentions of leaving the Cavs.
"All year I've been saying the same s--t, saying how much I like it. Every day it's like, 'He's gonna do this, he's gonna do that." I don't get it, I don't understand it, I think it's hilarious," Mitchell said. "It is what it is. I'm glad I got this s--t done, man, I'm glad I got this s--t done in Cleveland. Now to get focused, you know what I'm saying? Let's get to it."
As ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported, Mitchell's max deal includes a player option for the 2027-28 season and pushes his contract with Cleveland to a total of $185 million over four years. The 27-year-old will have the opportunity to reach the NBA's 10-year service criteria that will make him eligible to sign a five-year extension worth over $380 million in 2027.
After spending the first five years of his career with the Utah Jazz, Mitchell was traded to the Cavs prior to the 2022-23 season and immediately established himself as the face of the franchise. He averaged a career-high 28.3 points in his first year in Cleveland and earned an All-NBA selection for the first time in his career with a spot on the second team.
Mitchell helped lead Cleveland to a second straight playoff appearance this season. After getting past the Orlando Magic in a seven-game first-round series, the Cavs fell to the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in five games. Mitchell suffered a calf injury that kept him out of the final two games of the series against Boston.
The Cavs are set to enter a new era after firing head coach JB Bickerstaff and replacing him with former Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson.
Wojnarowski noted that Mitchell committed to the team because he has "confidence in the organization to keep building the Cavaliers into a championship contender and an alignment on a partnership of how they'll play a part in doing it together."