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Donovan Mitchell signed a four-year, $273 million maximum contract extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The news was reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, but more importantly, it was CAA’s co-head of basketball, Austin Brown, who told ESPN.
While it may sound like a massive deal for Mitchell, he actually left a lot of money on the table. And yes, that’s an incredible thing to say about a deal that includes a player-option worth $75 million in 2030. The timing and money left on the table with Mitchell’s deal is reminiscent of what Jalen Brunson did with the Knicks two years ago. Brunson gave up about $113 million by not waiting another year to sign his extension.
That obviously worked out for the Knicks. They traded for Karl-Anthony Towns, made the Eastern Conference Finals and then another year later won the title. And all it really cost Brunson was about $12 million during the first year of his contract.
The numbers for Mitchell are even more astounding. He will make $50.1 million this season and then the extension will kick in. Here’s what he’s going to make:
2027-2028: $60.9M
2028-2029: $65.7M
2029-2030: $70.6M
2030-2031: $75.5M (player option)
The deal is worth up to $273 million. According to ESPN, if he had waited until next summer to sign the extension it would have been a five-year deal worth $353 million.
Now we wait to find out if Mitchell did the right thing. It stands to reason that this will help the Cavaliers financially like Brunson’s early deal helped the Knicks. But will it translate onto the court? Will it help them bring LeBron James home? Will it free up the money required to fill out the roster. Can the Cavs get back to the Finals for the first time since the last time LeBron came home?
May 23, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) moves the ball against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) the ball in the fourth quarter during game three of the eastern conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
MORE: Donovan Mitchell takes issue with Jaylen Brown being called a ‘disease’
Mitchell has represented the Cavaliers in the All-Star game all four seasons he’s been there. He’s gotten MVP votes and made three All-NBA teams. In four playoffs, he’s averaged 27.3 points, five rebounds and 4.1 assists.
Mitchell was traded to Cleveland ahead of the 2022 season. The Cavaliers have won 51, 48, 64 and 52 games in his four seasons in Cleveland. They made it to the playoffs all four seasons, won their first round series in 2024 and 2025 and then lost to the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
In fact, the Cavaliers have lost to the Eastern Conference champions in each of the last three seasons. That’s the kind of thing other franchise would hang their hats on when LeBron James was going to the NBA Finals for eight straight seasons.
Now we have a contract that is both outlandish very reasonable at the exact same time. We will soon find out what the Cavaliers are made of and whether Mitchell’s discount was worth it for either side. It’s a race to see whether the team can win a title before someone actually looks at the numbers and says he’s not worth it, the same way that the Celtics recently decided Jaylen Brown wasn’t.
Continue reading...
While it may sound like a massive deal for Mitchell, he actually left a lot of money on the table. And yes, that’s an incredible thing to say about a deal that includes a player-option worth $75 million in 2030. The timing and money left on the table with Mitchell’s deal is reminiscent of what Jalen Brunson did with the Knicks two years ago. Brunson gave up about $113 million by not waiting another year to sign his extension.
That obviously worked out for the Knicks. They traded for Karl-Anthony Towns, made the Eastern Conference Finals and then another year later won the title. And all it really cost Brunson was about $12 million during the first year of his contract.
Donovan Mitchell’s contract extension
The numbers for Mitchell are even more astounding. He will make $50.1 million this season and then the extension will kick in. Here’s what he’s going to make:
2027-2028: $60.9M
2028-2029: $65.7M
2029-2030: $70.6M
2030-2031: $75.5M (player option)
The deal is worth up to $273 million. According to ESPN, if he had waited until next summer to sign the extension it would have been a five-year deal worth $353 million.
Now we wait to find out if Mitchell did the right thing. It stands to reason that this will help the Cavaliers financially like Brunson’s early deal helped the Knicks. But will it translate onto the court? Will it help them bring LeBron James home? Will it free up the money required to fill out the roster. Can the Cavs get back to the Finals for the first time since the last time LeBron came home?
The Donovan Mitchell era
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May 23, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) moves the ball against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) the ball in the fourth quarter during game three of the eastern conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
MORE: Donovan Mitchell takes issue with Jaylen Brown being called a ‘disease’
Mitchell has represented the Cavaliers in the All-Star game all four seasons he’s been there. He’s gotten MVP votes and made three All-NBA teams. In four playoffs, he’s averaged 27.3 points, five rebounds and 4.1 assists.
Mitchell was traded to Cleveland ahead of the 2022 season. The Cavaliers have won 51, 48, 64 and 52 games in his four seasons in Cleveland. They made it to the playoffs all four seasons, won their first round series in 2024 and 2025 and then lost to the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
In fact, the Cavaliers have lost to the Eastern Conference champions in each of the last three seasons. That’s the kind of thing other franchise would hang their hats on when LeBron James was going to the NBA Finals for eight straight seasons.
Now we have a contract that is both outlandish very reasonable at the exact same time. We will soon find out what the Cavaliers are made of and whether Mitchell’s discount was worth it for either side. It’s a race to see whether the team can win a title before someone actually looks at the numbers and says he’s not worth it, the same way that the Celtics recently decided Jaylen Brown wasn’t.
Continue reading...
