The Cleveland Cavaliers have gone all-in on their future with superstar guard Donovan Mitchell.
“Cleveland Cavaliers All-NBA star Donovan Mitchell has agreed on a four-year, $273 million maximum contract extension that includes a player option for the 2030-31 season and a full trade kicker,” ESPN’s Shams Charania wrote on his official X account on Tuesday morning. “After leading the Cavaliers to the Eastern Conference finals, Mitchell could have waited until next summer for an additional fifth season worth an extra $80 million but instead committed early on a long-term extension on the first day he was eligible for a new contract to stamp his pledge to the city of Cleveland. This marks the second extension for Mitchell since arriving to Cleveland in 2022.”
Mitchell, 29, last signed a 3-year, $150.2 million contract extension with the Cavaliers in July 2024. He has $188.2 million in career earnings through the end of the 2025-26 season. He averaged 27.9 points last season — the second-highest average of his career — as the Cavaliers were swept by the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.
“I’m sorry for the city of Cleveland,” Mitchell told reporters following the sweep by the Knicks. “For it to be like this and the sweep. That’s ass. But I told y’all last year, and I’ll say again, we’ll be back. We’ll be ready. We’ll be hungry. And we’ll be locked in.”
He also made NBA history in the postseason, tying Sleepy Floyd’s single-half scoring record with 39 points in a Game 4 win over the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Mitchell scored 43 points in the 112-103 victory to tie the series at 2-2.
The Cavaliers have made the playoffs 4 consecutive seasons since Mitchell joined the team after missing the playoffs 4 consecutive seasons before his arrival.
Cavaliers Made Massive Move for Mitchell in 2022
The Cavs made a massive move for Mitchell in a 2022 trade with the Utah Jazz, in exchange for Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji, and 5 1st-round picks.
Mitchell was a 1st-round pick (No. 13 overall) in the 2017 NBA draft after 2 seasons at Louisville. He became an instant star for the Jazz, where he averaged 23.9 points over his 1st 5 NBA seasons, including making the NBA All-Star 3 consecutive seasons before the trade.
An opportunity was there for Mitchell to wait until after next season to add another 5th year to the contract — a 5-year, $353 million contract extension — instead he wanted to make sure he stayed in Cleveland.
Mitchell’s new contract replaces the final year of the contract he signed in 2024.
From ESPN: “Mitchell, 29, has declared his love for the Cavaliers and the market of Cleveland repeatedly since his 2022 offseason trade from the Utah Jazz. The new agreement marks the second extension for Mitchell since arriving in Cleveland. On May 26, the night the Cavs were eliminated by the New York Knicks in four games in the Eastern Conference finals, Mitchell said he has ‘unfinished business’ trying to deliver the city a ring.”
Cavs Make Blockbuster Move for $273 Million Superstar