Donovan Mitchell — the All-NBA heart of a Cavaliers team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals — has locked down his future in Cleveland and agreed to sign a four-year max contract extension with the team, his agent told Shams Charania of ESPN.
The contract would kick in for the 2027-28 season, replacing Mitchell’s player option that year and starting at $60.9 million (based on the most recent salary cap estimates). It would be worth $272.8 million over the course of the deal.
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Mitchell signing to stay in Cleveland is not a surprise. He said after the Cavaliers were swept out of the playoffs by the Knicks that he loved playing in the city and believed this team could reach the NBA Finals. The only mild surprise is that the 29-year-old could have waited a year to sign the extension and gotten a fifth year added onto the deal at a higher price. Instead, he chose to lock things down now.
Mitchell averaged 27.9 points and 5.7 assists per game last season as the best player on a Cavaliers roster that saw dramatic changes around him. At the deadline, Cleveland sent Darius Garland to the LA Clippers for James Harden, who is expected to sign his own extension with the team this offseason.
For a team looking to take another step forward next season, the Cavaliers have been quiet this offseason. However, they are considered the current frontrunner to land LeBron James this offseason, league sources told NBC Sports, although LeBron has not had any direct, official contact with the team, according to reports.
Mitchell has been with the Cavaliers since being traded there from Utah in 2022, and he has now taken the team as far as it has gone since LeBron left again in 2018.
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