The person belongs to the Cavs.
The Cavaliers have then checked the most crucial box off their summer to-do list by agreeing to terms with Donovan Mitchell on a new three-year,$ 150.5 million highest contract extension, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, who hired Kenny Atkinson as their new head coach.
So why not a four- year extension worth over$ 200 million? It appears that this offer is structured to provide all factions what they really want. Woj claims that this agreement gives the Cavs" the balance of their franchise player without a contract for the duration of the second season." For Mitchell, he is now on the "fast- journey to the 10- time service criteria allowing him to do a 5- yr,$ 380M- plus extension in 2027".
Since getting in Northeast Ohio in September 2022, Mitchell has played the best sports of his seven- time career, averaging 27.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.6 steals per activity across two seasons in Cleveland. He led the Cavs to subsequent playoff appearances, including the show's first playoff collection win since LeBron James left for Los Angeles — and its first series win without James since 1993 — with a initial- round victory over the Orlando Magic back in April.
The Cavs needed Mitchell, who was still not fully himself after missing 18 games with left knee issues that eventually led to the need for platelet-rich plasma injections, to lead the charge. The Cavs also needed the full seven games to defeat the physically challenged, young Magic. He scored 14 points in the fourth quarter of Cleveland's win in Game 5, hung 50, including all 18 points the Cavs scored in the fourth, to give them a chance in a close Game 6 loss, and bounced back with 39 to go with nine rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block in 45 minutes in the Game 7 clincher.
Cleveland meeting with the top-seeded Celtics in Round 2 thanks to that success. The Cavs would n't linger long in the series, bowing out in five games, with Mitchell missing the final two contests with a left calf strain. Before being relegated to street clothes, though, Mitchell fared as well as any individual player in the postseason did against Boston, averaging 31.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 39.9 minutes per game, shooting 51.5 % from the field and 53.3 % from 3- point range against the eventual NBA champions— including a 29- 7- 8 effort in a Game 2 win, one of just three contests the C's dropped en route to the title.
That sort of production against an elite Celtics defense highlights the level that Mitchell can reach as an offensive engine — an all- court problem capable of dominating the game at all three levels, equally adept at orchestrating in the pick- and- roll to get downhill into the paint, stepping back behind a screen to fire a pull- up 3 off the dribble, working off the ball as a catch- and- shoot threat, or bending the defense to draw help and create open looks for his teammates.
Only five players in the NBA last season used at least 30 % of their team's offensive possessions, dished an assist on more than a quarter of their teammates ' baskets, and posted a true shooting percentage ( which factors in 2- point, 3- point and free- throw accuracy ) above 59 %. The list: MVP finalists Shai Gilgeous- Alexander and Luka Dončić, two- time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, All- NBA Second Team selection Jalen Brunson, and Mitchell, who looked to be well on his way to a second straight All- NBA nod himself before the knee issues that dropped him below the 65- game threshold for award eligibility.
Perhaps most enticing: At 27 and just entering his athletic prime, Mitchell might be getting even better. Despite putting up such a lot of work, he still managed to get the best defense of his career last year while posting the highest free-throw attempts, assist, and rebound rates of his career.
Add it up and, on a per- possession basis, a number of advanced metrics — estimated plus- minus, value over replacement player, box plus- minus, The BBall Index's LEBRON, Opta's DRIP, Kostya Medvedovsky's DARKO and Neil Paine's Estimated RAPTOR — all pegged Mitchell as a top- 10- to- 15 player in the league last season. Which is to say: precisely the kind of building block that a franchise like Cleveland, which does n't boast a major track record of success in free agency, wants to lock in as a cornerstone for as long as possible.
There are still a lot of questions to be answered by the Cavs. Can Atkinson get more production and synergy from the Mitchell-Darius Garland backcourt and the Jarrett Allen-Evan Mobley duo than his predecessor J? B. Bickerstaff was able to? Can Garland bounce back from an injury- wracked and largely lost season to reclaim the All- Star status he'd reached before Mitchell's arrival? Is Mobley poised for another leap on the offensive end? How will team president Koby Altman work to continue to maximize the roster around that core four — and might he be better served moving on from one ( or more ) pieces to more fully round out the rotation? And even if the Cavs leap every developmental hurdle and nail every transactional decision along the way, will it be enough to meaningfully contend with a monster like the Celtics for Eastern supremacy?
Those inquiries will be answered as soon as possible. For now, though, Cleveland fans can take solace in finding certitude on the biggest issue that had been hanging over their heads: Mitchell's not going anywhere, which means the Cavs still have the chance to get where they want to go.
Copyright Notice:
Datavictory copyrights this specification. No part of this specification may be reproduced in any form or means, without the prior written consent of Datavictory.
Link:
