The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the 2024 offseason with one goal above all else: Sign Donovan Mitchell to a contract extension. The five-time All-Star has been at the heart of an endless stream of trade rumors, with countless contenders looking to steal him from the Cavaliers.
Thankfully, on the second official day of NBA free agency, Mitchell has committed to a long-term future in Cleveland.
Mitchell, 27, has transformed the culture and identity of the Cavaliers during his two seasons with the team. After previously going four seasons on the outside looking in of the NBA playoffs, the former All-NBA honoree has led Cleveland to back-to-back postseason appearances.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Cavaliers have rewarded his efforts with a three-year contract extension worth upwards of $150 million.
BREAKING: Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell has agreed on a three-year, $150.3 million maximum contract extension that includes a player option for the 2027-2028 season, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/Vu6QXGyK57
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2024
It's a hefty price to pay, but it's also the price of doing business with the top stars that the Association has to offer.
Cleveland Cavaliers extend Donovan Mitchell through 2027-28 season
Mitchell is coming off of a season in which he averaged 26.6 points, 6.1 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 3.3 three-point field goals made in 35.3 minutes per game. He set new career-best marks in assists, rebounds, and steals per contest, and blocked his most shots since 2018-19.
Mitchell also maintained an impressive level of efficiency considering his volume and style of play with a slash line of .462/.368/.865.
Injuries limited his availability to 55 regular season games, but the Cavaliers were nothing short of elite when he played. Cleveland went 36-19 when Mitchell was available, which equates to a win percentage of .655—good for a 53-win season across 82 games.
Cleveland went just 12-15 in the 27 games that he was unavailable for, which comes out to a win percentage of .444—equivalent to a 36-win season under an 82-game format.
In addition to causing a 17-game swing in win percentage, Mitchell led the Cavaliers to their first postseason series victory since 2018. He famously scored 50 points in the Game 6 loss to the Orlando Magic in the first round, and followed up with 39 points in Game 7 to help Cleveland advance.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, the 89 points that he scored between those two outings marked the second-most a player has produced in postseason history between Games 6 and 7.
It was the type of ruthless determination that the Cavaliers hope will come to define the franchise as they look to make the climb from up-and-comers to true contenders. They've certainly invested in the timeline, as Mitchell is now signed through 2026-27, with a player option for 2027-28.
The hope in Cleveland appears to be that the Cavaliers will continue the trend of making it one round further in each postseason with Mitchell leading the charge.