As soon as they are able to, the Cleveland Cavaliers are anticipated to extend their contract with Donovan Mitchell for a further four years, estimated to be worth $200 million.
According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, there is a “league-wide expectation only grows” that Mitchell will agree to Cleveland’s offer of an extension.
This is consistent with reports that have surfaced after the Cavs were eliminated from the postseason. A few weeks ago, Koby Altman, the president of basketball operations, responded to a question on Mitchell’s deal in a positive manner.
“I would say that our exit interview went really well because he talked about the future and expressed excitement about the team and the organization,” Altman remarked. “I believe this player has a lot of trust in what we’re doing, has had two of the best years of his career here, has a lot of success here, and understands that winning a championship is our ultimate goal.”
This offseason, the Cavs’ top priority is to get a long-term deal from Mitchell. Without it occurring, they cannot hope to have a successful summer. If they made that commitment up front, whether formally or informally, they would be able to go into this summer strong and keep them from trying to react to what they think Mitchell wants.
The way the team is handling the prospect of splitting up their core four of Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen is one way this appears to have shown up. “Cleveland is not expected to entertain trade offers for any member of its core four,” according to Fischer. Recently, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst expressed similar opinions regarding Garland’s availability and said that the team is discussing having those four players for the upcoming season with potential coaches.
Finding a new head coach and convincing Mitchell to re-sign will be the Cavs’ top priorities this offseason. Based on the results of both, they will make judgments regarding the roster in terms of trades and free agency.
In the NBA, things may shift very quickly. As of right now, all indications point to the Cavs having a successful summer in this regard.
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