Donovan Mitchell: Signing $150M Cavs Contract a 'No-Brainer' Despite Trade Rumors

Though his name was in trade rumors this offseason, Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell never had a doubt about staying with his current team.

The shooting guard inked a three-year, $150 million contract over the offseason, a decision he had no trouble making.

"To me, it was a no-brainer," Mitchell told ESPN's Brian Windhorst. "I think people don't understand, when you sign that contract, yes you're signing to be with the organization and my teammates who I love, who are family, but also it's a life decision. Cleveland is somewhere I genuinely like to be, from watching the Browns, from watching the Guardians. I knew for a while and it was just a no-brainer."

After Cleveland's second-round exit to the Boston Celtics in the playoffs, Mitchell's future with the Cavs was certainly in question. A trade seemed like a real possibility, whether the Cavaliers initiated it or Mitchell requested it.

Before the extension, Mitchell was set to enter the final year of his contract. His looming free agency meant the Cavs could have had to face the decision of trading him over the offseason or waiting a year and getting nothing in return.

But now he's committed to Cleveland for at least three more seasons as the Cavs look to continue pushing for their first Finals appearance in the post-LeBron James era.

Mitchell has been the franchise cornerstone they've been looking for since James left in 2018, and he's lived up to the lofty expectations thus far. He averaged 26.6 points, 6.1 assists and 5.1 boards last season, leading Cleveland to a second straight postseason appearance after it had missed the previous four playoffs.

He had a tremendous playoff showing, putting up 29.6 points per game, including a 50-point outing in the first round against the Orlando Magic, before missing the last two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals with an injury.

Behind Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, the Cavs are now a team to be feared in the East—something that hasn't happened since James was around. Had Cleveland lost Mitchell this offseason, it likely would have set up more years of rebuilding. Instead, the Cavaliers have all the makings of a championship-contending team.