Donovan Mitchell agrees to 3-year, $150.3 million deal with Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers have reached a three-year, $150.3 million contract extension, including a player option for the 2027-28 season, with shooting guard Donovan Mitchell, ESPN reported on Tuesday.

Mitchell's salary for the 2024-25 campaign will be $35.4 million before his new deal kicks in. Moreover, he will be eligible to negotiate a five-year designated veteran extension worth over $380 million with the Cavaliers in 2027.

Mitchell has averaged 27.5 points and 5.2 assists per game for the Cavaliers since being traded to the team in 2022. They made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, and advanced out of this year's Eastern Conference first round after taking their opening series against the Orlando Magic 4-3. Mitchell scored 89 points in the final two games of the series.

Mitchell has earned five straight NBA All-Star Game selections since 2020 and was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 2023. There were rumors about him having second thoughts about his future in Cleveland at the end of the 2023-24 campaign, but in the end, he decided to stay with the team.

One of the reasons that Mitchell reportedly was considering leaving was the Cavaliers' struggling performances against top championship contenders. Analysts point out those problems stemmed from the team's poor spacing and perimeter defense, which held them back on both ends of the floor.

Neither of Cleveland's "twin towers," Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, shoot many three-pointers. And most of the team's forwards, including Isaac Okoro and Max Struss, were not sharpshooters who can stretch the floor. As a result, the opposing side's paint often grew very crowded when Mitchell and Darius Garland drove inside.

Garland's disappointing individual defense became a point of attack for the Cavaliers' opponents in the postseason. His five-year, $197 million contract took effect from the 2023-24 season, so, it won't be easy to trade him for better assets. By contrast, Allen, as an efficient finisher with solid offensive skills in the center position, looks attractive to other teams, especially with just two years and $40 million left on his current deal.