Cavs star Donovan Mitchell won't sign an extension yet, but he could next summer
CLEVELAND — The biggest question about the Cavaliers' longterm future is whether Donovan Mitchell will sign an extension beyond his current contract, or if the front office will, at some point, need to make a decision about a possible trade.
That answer won't be arriving until next summer at the earliest.
Speaking during Cavs media day at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Monday afternoon, Mitchell addressed his possible future with the team, saying that a contract extension won't be happening right now. But he left the door open for discussions with the team after the 2023-24 season.
"If I were to, it'd be next summer," Mitchell said. "Just for me, going off what we did last year, that's my primary focus, is [the upcoming season]. Just trying to go out there and trying to be the best team it can be and bring a championship to the city and go from there. And I've addressed this with [Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman]. I can still do it, still sign this extension, and I'm excited."
Mitchell has two years remaining on his current contract, which he signed as a member of the Utah Jazz before the blockbuster trade to Cleveland before last season. The deal includes a player option for the 2025-26 season.
But if the Cavs can't work out a longterm deal next summer, with Mitchell entering the final guaranteed year of his deal, it might force them to make some decisions regarding possible trades. Otherwise, they'd risk Mitchell declining his player option and walking to free agency.
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The Cavs star guard did want to send out a reminder that he can still sign an extension after the season, even if that won't do much to quell Cavs fans' fears in the moment.
"I want it to be known that I still have the opportunity to sign an extension next summer. I don't think a lot of people understand that aspect," Mitchell said. "Right now, for me, my focus is [that] we added some new additions. We obviously had a season that you could kind of rate went really well, until it went really poorly. So for us, that's where all our heads are at."
The Cavs are coming off a 51-win season, but it ended with a disappointingly quick exit in the first round of the NBA playoffs at the hands of the New York Knicks. Cleveland's front office addressed a glaring need for shooters in the offseason, highlighted by the signing of small forward Max Strus.
In a major way, the Cavs either have to do everything they can to entice Mitchell to sign beyond next season, or they'll risk the possibility of needing to trade him.
"He's been genuine, he's helped us with our offseason in terms of acquisitions," Altman said. "He's made this place, along with our core young group, a destination. He wants to win here, he wants to win big here. And all we can go off of are those intentions that he gives us and the genuine feedback and how we can get to a place where we all want to be."
Mitchell will remain in place for the 2023-24 season. But it certainly won't be the last time the topic comes up, as he is squarely in the center of the team's longterm plans. The Cavs are no longer simply the young team going through a mountain of firsts together. They have aspirations of challenging Milwaukee and Boston in the East.
"I'll say that I think from our standpoint, when we acquired him, three years is an eternity in the NBA, and we want to win big with Donovan," Altman said. "From a Cleveland Cavaliers standpoint, we feel we're in a really good spot for a long runway of success."
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Will Donovan Mitchell sign extension with Cleveland Cavaliers?
