Donovan Mitchell's Future with Cavs Secured in Blockbuster Multi-Year Extension
After two busy days of NBA Free Agency, which began this past Sunday at 6:00 p.m. ET, a number of teams have made significant acquisitions in an attempt to strengthen their rosters ahead of the 2024–25 season. There are still a number of free agents that are available this summer, but several big-name players have chosen to commit to their teams signing long-term extensions this offseason with a year left on their current deals. Notably, 2024 NBA Champion Jayson Tatum committed to a five-year supermax agreement with the Boston Celtics yesterday afternoon, ensuring his long-term stay in Boston. The most recent player to lock up a contract is Donovan Mitchell, a five-time NBA All-Star who has agreed to a multi-year agreement to stay with the Cleveland Cavaliers. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the maximum contract is a three-year deal worth $150.3 million, with a player option for the 2027–2028 season.
The 2023 All-NBA Second Team shooting guard is going into his eighth NBA season in 2024–2025 and has had an incredible NBA career thus far. The 27-year-old began playing in the NBA in 2017 following his two years of college at the University of Louisville, where he made a name for himself and attracted the attention of NBA scouts after being selected to the Cardinals' First-Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference during his sophomore year. In the 2017 NBA Draft, Mitchell was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the 13th overall pick. He was then traded to the Utah Jazz, where he began his professional career. Mitchell ended his rookie season with the Jazz by setting a rookie record for the most three-pointers made in a season with 187 made from beyond the arc, demonstrating that he had no trouble transitioning to the NBA level.
Following another dismal playoff exit with the Jazz the year before, Mitchell would be moved to the Cavaliers in 2022 after spending his first five seasons with the Jazz, where he established himself as a household figure in the NBA. Since joining the Cavaliers, Mitchell has been the focal point of the team's offensive output, averaging 27.5 points, 5.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 47.3 field goal percentage, and 37.7 percent three-point shooting. With the Cavs, Mitchell and the team have had immediate success. They have made it to the playoffs two straight seasons, and most recently, they advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals before losing in five games to the Boston Celtics, who went on to win the NBA Championship. Despite being limited to just 55 games last season because of a left knee injury, Mitchell still recorded All-Star numbers, averaging 26.6 points, 6.1 assists, 5.1 rebounds, and a 46.2 field goal percentage. With new coach Kenny Atkinson taking over for dismissed head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, the Cavaliers, and Mitchell will be hoping for a deeper playoff run in the upcoming season.
