Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell isn't going anywhere, just as we all suspected.
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Instead, he announced he is returning to the Cavs in the most fitting way possible — with a video on social media.
The announcement ends months of NBA speculation on the rumor mills, saying that Mitchell may request a trade. That speculation quieted down in recent weeks and is totally dead now.
Not surprisingly, Mitchell's new contract is a maximum deal for three years and a reported $150.3 million. Mitchell, agent Austin Brown and Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman agreed to the deal on Saturday in Los Angeles.
#LetEmKnow @cavs pic.twitter.com/QU1re4zn0G
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) July 2, 2024
The contract includes a player option for 2027-2028, giving Mitchell a chance to satisfy the NBA's 10-year service criteria. That allows him to go for a five-year extension in 2027 that could be worth more than $380 million.
"A significant part of Mitchell's belief in committing to a new deal comes with his and his representative's confidence in the organization to keep building the Cavaliers into a championship contender and an alignment on a partnership of how they'll play a part in doing it together," wrote ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, citing sources.
Altman kept things under wraps when asked about Mitchell's new contract during new coach Kenny Atkinson's press conference on Monday, allowing the star guard to make the announcement himself.
"We feel good about Donovan. He's in a great space. He's invested," Altman said. "Hopefully soon we'll have more of a decisive answer on that for you. But he's pro-Cleveland."
Mitchell, 27, averaged 26.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists while shooting 46.2% from the field, 36.8% on 3-pointers and 86.5% from the free-throw line this past season.
A New York native, he carries career averages of 24.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists with the Jazz and Cavs. He scored a career-high 71 points in 2022-23 against the Chicago Bulls.
The Cavaliers defeated the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs in seven games but lost to the Boston Celtics in the second round in five games. Mitchell didn't play in Games 4 and 5 of the Celtics series due to an injury.
(This story was originally posted on Hoops Wire and republished with permission.)
