NEWSLETTER
You can cross one of the offseason’s biggest potential available names off the list. Donovan Mitchell is staying in Cleveland.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that Mitchell’s new contract with the Cavaliers is a three-year deal worth $150.3 million with the 2027-28 season having a player option. Mitchell was quick to let fans know over social media that he wasn’t headed out of town.
Donovan Mitchell Staying In Cleveland
Mitchell’s status in Cleveland was one of the biggest questions in the NBA this offseason. The 27-year-old guard’s contract was set to expire at the end of next year, and Cleveland was adamant that they didn’t want to lose him for nothing. Essentially, this offseason had an ultimatum to it for both sides – contract extension or trade.
Mitchell had been rumored to have an interest in playing for his native New York Knicks at some point in his career. The Los Angeles Lakers checked in on him throughout the course of the season and near the trade deadline to see how available he was. None of the big market teams ended up with Mitchell this time around, though, and he’s staying in Cleveland for the foreseeable future.
After the Cavs were eliminated by Boston in the second round, team president Koby Altman parted ways with head coach JB Bickerstaff and hired Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson. That was the first clear sign that Cleveland was going to do their best to convince Mitchell to stay. Bickerstaff and his star guard reportedly didn’t always see eye to eye.
Woj dropped another interesting nugget on this deal on his X account, as well.
The deal — negotiated by co-head of CAA basketball Austin Brown — delivers Cavs the stability of their franchise player under contract beyond next season. For Mitchell, it delivers a fast-path to the 10-year service criteria allowing him to pursue a 5-year, $380M-plus extension in 2027.
Adrian Wojnarowski via X
Mitchell and the Cavs structured the deal so he would be eligible for his massive super max contract extension in 2027. Mitchell was eligible to sign a five-year deal worth $269 million this offseason. So whether or not he wants to stay in Cleveland when this deal is up or move on remains unclear. We could do this whole song and dance again real soon.
Donovan Mitchell Extension Fallout
So, how could this possibly affect the Bulls? For starters, it annoyingly means that the Bulls have to deal with Mitchell for potentially the next three years. He’s been an absolute Bulls killer. But given the youth movement path, Chicago seems to be on, losses might actually be better than wins next year to keep their first-round pick in the top 10.
But more importantly, will this affect the Zach LaVine market at all? Maybe not in a massive way, but Mitchell staying in Cleveland means that every team looking for a high-volume scorer who can shoot the three is still in the market for one. Every team interested in Mitchell striking out on him can’t be a bad thing in the Bulls’ pursuit to move Zach LaVine.
Now, I don’t think that means teams all of a sudden pivot to LaVine, and his value immediately increases. But the longer the offseason goes on and the more teams strike out on top targets, the Zach option might become more and more intriguing. It could even bleed into the regular season a bit, but one of the top potentially available guards on the market signing an extension can’t really hurt LaVine’s trade value, so at least there’s that!
