The Cleveland Cavaliers doubled down on their commitment to Donovan Mitchell this season. Trading Darius Garland and acquiring James Harden sent two messages: first, they let him know they were ready to make a push for a championship over the next two years. Second, they reassured him that this was his team.
The Cavs have said all the right things about wanting to keep Mitchell in town for the long run. He will be eligible for a supermax contract extension, and if everything goes well, they hope he'll put pen to paper this offseason.
However, after watching him in the playoffs, and especially in the last two games. That's why he should use that incoming megadeal as motivation to get the job done in Game 7 vs. the Detroit Pistons. Otherwise, he might kiss those $380 million goodbye.
Donovan Mitchell must earn his contract extension vs. the Pistons
Lately, Mitchell has been a no-show for the Cavs, with Harden doing most of the heavy lifting on offense. He's been a combined -29 in the past two games, shooting just 34.2 percent from the floor and 21.4 percent from beyond the arc.
He hasn't been efficient without the ball in his hands. His usage has dropped, and he's stopped working as a secondary playmaker, either, averaging just under 3.0 assists per game in the playoffs, less than half of his season average (5.7).
The 2027-28 season will be Mitchell's 10th year of NBA service. As such, he'll be eligible for the Ten-Year Max, the highest possible tier of veteran extension. He can make as much as 35 percent of the team's salary cap, which translates to a five-year, $380 million extension.
We're talking about $76 million a year and one-third of the payroll for a player who has never made it past the second round of the playoffs. Giving him that type of cash will hamper the Cavs for years, and unless they stumble upon a true star in the NBA Draft, they simply won't be able to pair him with a true alpha.
Mitchell is a great and relatable guy, and he's one of the hardest-working players in the league. However, he's failed to prove that he's a Batman time and time again. It happens; not all players can be true first options, and that's not an indictment on him as a player or a person.
That said, this is a business first and foremost, and there's simply no way to justify giving him that much money if he can't get the job done when it counts. Now, stepping up and having a big Game 7 might flip the narrative upside down again.
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