Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell Goal: ‘Make Him Happy,’ Not Trade Him

Getty Donovan Mitchell, at the Mets-Yankees game last month.

ESPN reporter Tim Bontemps raised some hackles around the league this week with his suggestion that the Cleveland Cavaliers ought to look into moving star guard Donovan Mitchell “today” because there is not much chance that Mitchell will sign an extension to remain with the Cavs when he hits free agency in the summer of 2025 (Mitchell has on option for the 2025-26 season).

While Bontemps’ logic is solid, the Cavaliers are taking the opposite tack, sources told Heavy Sports this week. Apologies, Knicks fans.

“They’re doing their best to reconfigure things around him and just keep rolling out the red carpet, making sure he knows he is taking care of, all of that,” one source told Heavy Sports. “No one is hitting the eject button on this. There is a lot of cost that’s been sunk into him and they’re going to push forward.”

Indeed, the Cavs gave up Lauri Markkanen, who has become an All-Star, as well as Ochai Agbaji and Collin Sexton, plus three first-rounders (in 2025, 2027 and 2029) and two first-round swaps (in 2026 and 2028) to acquire Mitchell. Though Mitchell put up 28.3 points, 4.4 assists and 4.3 rebounds last year, it is unlikely that the Cavs could recoup that kind of package for him.

“It’s Donovan Mitchell or bust,” the source said. “Make him happy, make him comfortable, that is the job.”

Cavaliers’ Front Office Added Shooting to Help Mitchell

The problem is that, for all the improvement the Cavaliers made last year, the end result was, indeed, still a bust. The team ranked as the best defensive team in the NBA, with a 109.9 rating, and the No. 8 offensive team (115.5), one of only three to rank in the Top 10 in both categories (with Boston and Philadelphia). In the playoffs, the Cavs were still the best defensive team (107.3 rating) but were also the worst offensive team (101.9).

Mitchell was largely to blame, his scoring plummeting to 23.2 points on 43.3% shooting, making just 28.9% from the 3-point line. He was reluctant to attack the rim, and attempted just 3.6 free throws per game. The Cavs, after posting 51 wins and earning the No. 4 seed, were ousted by New York in five games.

At no point did the Cavs point the finger at Mitchell’s poor play, though. The team acknowledged that it needed more shooting to create space for Mitchell, and added shooters Max Strus and Georges Niang in free agency.

“They did not go to him and say, ‘Hey, what do you want us to do, who should we get?’” said one Eastern Conference executive. “It’s not that kind of situation. But what they did was go and get players who can shoot and by doing that they sort of said to him, ‘The playoffs, that was our fault, not yours.’ That’s an attempt to keep him happy right there.

“At the same time, we all know, Donovan Mitchell is not the guy who you bring onto your team and, just like that you go to the conference finals. You need more pieces. So if you’re Cleveland, I think you hold onto him and get him to sign an extension because if he is getting honest advice about what the market is going to hold for him in free agency, staying put is going to be his best option. If he wants to go to the usual suspects—and it is just a guess that he will—Miami probably is not going to have cap space, the Knicks probably are not going to have cap space, and the Lakers will only have cap space if they move on from (Anthony Davis) and LeBron (James.)”

Could Dan Gilbert Help Sway Mitchell?

One other factor that could help the Cavs in retaining Mitchell: The health of owner Dan Gilbert, who has been a more regular attendee at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in the past year after suffering a stroke in 2019.

“Whatever is said about Dan, he is a guy who can get you on his side,” the exec said. “And that can be the case in this with Donovan, if they get a chance to form that kind of relationship. The fact that he is back around the team can only help. Now, you still need Donovan to be a more active participant, to have him really be involved with the team. That’s got to be a goal for this season.”