LeBron James shocked the world when he signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. The signing came after weeks of major speculation about him potentially returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers or joining his arch-rivals in the Golden State Warriors.
Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell, however, never thought James would be returning to Cleveland, the team he once led to the NBA championship in 2016.
According to Mitchell, he was under the impression that James would be joining Stephen Curry and the Warriors in free agency.
“I didn’t think Philly,” Mitchell said in his interview with Complex magazine. “I thought if he didn’t come here, it would be Golden State.”
James signed with the Philadelphia 76ers after declining his player option with the Los Angeles Lakers to enter unrestricted free agency.
LeBron, who is now 41 years old, opted out of his $52.6 million player option, ending his eight-season tenure with the Lakers.
He took his time evaluating suitors like the Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Warriors while balancing family priorities.
He ultimately chose a veteran deal with the 76ers to chase another championship alongside Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Jaylen Brown, whom Philly got via trade for Paul George with the Boston Celtics.
Donovan Mitchell Reveals Moves To Lure LeBron James To Cleveland
Donovan Mitchell put up a fight in potentially getting LeBron James for this season. According to Mitchell, he made pitches to James but eventually understood the four-time NBA champion’s decision.
“It was just more like a, you know, like ‘Hey, like we’d love to do this.’ But at the end of the day, I’m not going to blow somebody’s phone up,” Mitchell said. “It’s his decision to make, you know? He’s earned that right.”
“He’s done this for 20-some years. He’s won here, he’s won in LA, he’s won everywhere he’s went. So, at the end of the day, if he was here, we’d welcome him. If he’s not, he’s not. So now it’s like he’s the enemy.”
Cleveland remains one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference despite missing out on James in free agency.
Cavaliers Are Confident With Their Current Roster
LeBron James was not the be-all-and-end-all of the Cavaliers’ offseason. Cavaliers’ president of basketball operations Koby Altman said the team is confident with their current competition.
“We can’t be reliant on one outcome. I think we have too much of a good thing going in terms of our infrastructure, our foundation to worry about one outcome,” Altman said at a press conference ahead of the season.
“I’m not downplaying the enormity and magnitude of the decision. I just think the way we’re built as an organization is we have a great foundation and a great sort of ecosystem in terms of talent, coaching staff, our performance staff and we’re built for a sustainable run here regardless of one outcome.”
The Cavaliers will be led by Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, and Evan Mobley, a core that led the team to the Eastern Conference Finals last season but got swept by the eventual NBA champions New York Knicks.
Meanwhile, they are expected to match up with the LeBron-led 76ers down the line.
Cavaliers Star Reveals He Thought LeBron James Would Choose Warriors Over 76ers