For youthful Cavs, 2023-24 brings sense of urgency amid Donovan Mitchell contract talks

The Cavaliers' sense of urgency has gone from 0 to 60 faster than one of Donovan Mitchell's Lamborghinis. And the driver of that vehicle is in the center of it all.

The Cavs have carefully crafted a young, talented roster built on the progression of a few youthful pieces and the addition of their star guard in a blockbuster trade with the Utah Jazz before last season.

It was said that the front office wanted to give this group a "runway" for success and a chance to grow together. But the Cavs are also directly in the intersection of waiting for that youth to develop and needing to see those dividends pay off now.

At least as currently constructed, they're running out of runway. The patience will soon be tested.

The Cavs, on paper, are built to last. But it isn't as simple as that.

As they embark on a new season Wednesday night in Brooklyn, hoping to exorcise the demons from their blink-of-an-eye playoff test against the Knicks last season, a crossroads of sorts is quickly approaching.

Donovan Mitchell leads Cavs core for another possible playoff run in 2023-24

Mitchell is at the heart of the Cavs' core, joining Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and now Max Strus, the team's key offseason addition from the Miami Heat.

Garland is under contract for the next five seasons (through 2027-28). Mobley has two years on his deal after the Cavs recently picked up his fourth-year option, but he'll then be a restricted free agent, offering the team plenty of flexibility to keep him long term beyond that. Allen has three years left on his deal. Strus signed a four-year deal this offseason via a sign-and-trade.

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And then there's Mitchell, who on paper has three years left on his deal. He's under contract for the next two seasons and then has a player option for 2025-26.

But as far as the Cavs are concerned, that means they have about eight or nine months until they'll need to determine Mitchell's intentions with his future, and whether they can afford to simply hope that he chooses to stay in Cleveland for his 2025-26 player option as opposed to entering free agency.

Next summer, the Cavs must almost treat Mitchell as an impending free agent — which he effectively is, as he controls his own destiny when the summer of 2025 rolls around. It could mean that either they lock him up to a long-term deal, ensuring this core group's future together, or it might require a roster-altering trade.

"He wants to win here, he wants to win big here," said Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman earlier this month. "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.

"We want to win big with Donovan. I can't speak to other organizations and what they're going through. All I can tell you is we have a group of high-character guys who really love it here and believe that they can win big here. And so that's all I can tell you from a Cleveland Cavalier standpoint. We feel we're in a really good spot for a long runway of success."

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Mitchell knows he'll be asked all season about his contract situation. It isn't a topic that can be put to bed. No, the idea of an extension for Mitchell versus a potential roster-shaking trade is the college student pounding 5-Hour energies to pull another all-nighter of cramming during finals week. It'll leave the Cavs wide-eyed and exhausted by the end of it, and probably looking a bit scruffy.

Their exam: show Mitchell enough to make staying in Cleveland a more attractive path than hitting free agency and, very possibly, exiting to New York (or some other destination).

"I want it to be known that I still have the opportunity to sign an extension next summer," Mitchell made sure to point out during Cavs Media Day. "I think I'm really excited about what we've got going here. … It's like, look, we could do something special. That's what I relayed to Georges [Niang] and Max when I told them about coming here. And ultimately when the season is over, we'll get to that. I've addressed that with the front office and whatnot."

Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks are the two favorites in the East in 2023-24

For now, Mitchell is the No. 1 scoring option leading a now-more-experienced Cavs lineup. They're securely a strong playoff contender in the East. But there are two dragons they'll have to slay in Milwaukee and Boston.

The Bucks, one year removed from their NBA title, added star guard Damian Lillard in a deal with the Portland Trailblazers. They also just signed MVP candidate (favorite?) Giannis Antetokounmpo to an extension.

The Celtics acquired forward Kristaps Porzingis from the Washington Wizards and former Bucks guard Jrue Holiday from Trail Blazers, partnering them with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who signed an extension.

The Cavs checked off every box on their checklist this season, adding some shooting potential with Strus and others. On paper, they got better from both an internal (experience) and external standpoint. It's also impossible to not look at Boston and Milwaukee as the East's two-headed Goliath.

"Yeah, the East is a monster," said Altman. "There are no easy games, there are no easy matchups."

The Cavs still have tests to pass when it comes to the Knicks and the defending East champion Miami. But the Celtics and Bucks seem inevitable.

The Cavs have about as much to prove this season as any team in the NBA. They got a lot of the "firsts" out of the way last season. Now they must go to battle with the training wheels long gone. And it could all determine which direction the franchise takes with Mitchell and others.

"I feel like we're right there," Mitchell said when speaking to the additions Boston and Milwaukee made. "At the end of the day, we have high hopes. We have high goals and a high ceiling for us. It starts with now, starts tomorrow, and we can't really focus on what's going on around us."

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The 2023-24 season is a pivotal one for the Cavs. They're hoping to win their first playoff series without LeBron James since 1993. But, like Mitchell noted, the conversation about his contract, and the team's future that is intertwined within, will not cease.

In seemingly no time at all, the Cavs have transformed from the plucky young bunch in the East to a team that could be facing some difficult decisions next summer. They'll return the core group, but it could be its last run together depending on what happens in 8-9 months.

The Cavs have no choice but to hit the snooze button on any extension talks until next summer. And depending on which direction Mitchell goes (or if the Cavs can do enough to force his hand), they could be in for a rude awakening.

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavaliers must have sense of urgency with Donovan Mitchell