The Cleveland Cavaliers have given Donovan Mitchell the keys to ignition. Trading Darius Garland for 36-year-old James Harden was all about showing him how much they trust him to lead them to an NBA championship.
That may not have been the case if they were fully convinced that he was going to sign a contract extension with them. And while Mitchell can certainly appreciate the gesture, nothing is set in stone until he puts pen to paper.
That's why Cavaliers fans may not appreciate his recent take on Harden's comments. In a recent interview, he agreed with his new teammate that loyalty was overrated in this particular line of business.
Donovan Mitchell's business approach might sound the alarms in Cleveland
“You know, certain situations, it’s not always going [to work out]. It’s not always like that. For him to be honest with you guys and give that answer, I respect that. This is a business,” Mitchell told SiriusXM NBA Radio.
That's not to say that he's definitely going to leave. Even when things got tough in Utah, he showed a willingness to weather the storm and stay. Also, he's always been vocal about his love for Cleveland and the fans. Maybe he was just trying to cut Harden some slack and kill that story before it grew legs.
That said, there comes a point in every star player's career where they wonder whether they would be better off somewhere else. The Cavs are a contender in the Eastern Conference, but they have yet to break through and get back to the NBA Finals. They're clearly trying to convince Mitchell that they can do so with him at the helm, but what if they fail?
Mitchell can opt out of the final year of his contract and become a free agent in 2027. Again, there are no indications that he's leaning one way or the other, but the Harden trade spoke volumes about the organization's feelings about him as the face of the franchise.
Fans judge athletes differently. No one would judge a friend or colleague for leaving their job for a better opportunity, yet it always feels like athletes are committing the ultimate sin when they no longer want to play for a team.
Whatever the case, Koby Altman and Cavs fans will certainly hope that Mitchell was just sharing his honest thoughts on Harden's stance and complicated legacy. The hope is not that he won't take a page out of Harden's book and also bail on the Cavs when he gets a chance.