Cavaliers: League sources don’t see ‘any chance’ of Donovan Mitchell signing an extension in Cleveland

In the 2022 off-season, the Cleveland Cavaliers made a blockbuster trade for Donovan Mitchell. He’d spent the first five seasons of his career with the Utah Jazz. The Cavs finished 51-31, good enough for fourth place in the East playoffs. Cleveland was bounced in the first round by the New York Knicks. One league source has said that he does not see “any chance” of Mitchell signing an extension in Cleveland. 

ESPN’s Tim Bontemps sat down with his colleague Brain Windhorst on “The Hoop Collective” to discuss Mitchell’s long-term future. Bontemps has suggested that the Cavs need to start planning for a life without Donovan Mitchell on their team. Currently, the 26-year-old has three seasons left on his deal with the Cavaliers.

If Cleveland fizzles out in the postseason in 2024, don’t expect Donovan Mitchell to want to stay long-term. Their franchise is still far away from being one of the top contenders in the Easy. They had a solid regular season but lost in five games in the opening round of the 2023 playoffs. Mitchell and his teammates did not play to their standard in the postseason.

“I don’t think there’s any chance he signs an extension there ever. And if it was up to me, I would trade Donvan Mitchell today.” 😳

– @TimBontemps on Donovan Mitchell’s situation in Cleveland

(Via Hoop Collective / h/t @NBA_NewYork) pic.twitter.com/1nJoiFCwr4

— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) July 24, 2023

How true are the rumors that Donovan Mitchell might want to leave the Cavs after next season?

According to Tim Bontemps, he doesn’t see “any chance” of Mitchell signing an extension with the Cavs. He said if it were up to him, a Donovan Mitchell trade would be easy to make. The ESPN analyst doubts that Cleveland will make it to the second round of the playoffs, much like their 2023 postseason.

When you look back at the trade that the Cavs made for Donovan Mitchell, it was a huge gamble. On his original list of preferred destinations, the Cavs were not on it. He had Brooklyn, Miami, and New York as his Top 3 choices. The Cavs paid a high price for Mitchell and they haven’t seen the return quite just yet.

It’s honestly too early to make a judgment on Donovan Mitchell’s time in Cleveland. The four-time all-star played in 68 regular and 5 postseason games in one season so far. This offseason, Mitchell is eligible for a contract extension. If he doesn’t sign one, that could be the start of him slowly hinting that he wants to leave. Only time will tell.