Amico: Too Soon for Concern About Donovan Mitchell Extension With Cavs

AKRON, Ohio — Much has been made of a contract extension for Cavaliers star guard Donovan Mitchell.

But it really is too soon for all that talk.

“I don’t think under any circumstances he was ever considering extending this season, and I think the Cavs knew that when they traded for him,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on NBA Today. “I think the pressure point comes a year from now when he’s got one year left on his contract.”

Mitchell still has three years and more than $105 million left on his contract — though the final year of that deal is a player option. So at the very least, the Cavs still have him under contract for two more seasons. It’s extremely rare for a player to sign a contract extension (or for a team to go too crazy on offering one) when the player still has the option for three more years on his deal.

That said, this is the NBA, and fans, the media and even general managers can find a way to panic. Sometimes, that worry is justified. With Mitchell, though, now is not that time.

Instead, as Windhorst noted, next summer is when the Cavs will be feeling a little more pressure. Some insiders have even suggested that if Mitchell doesn’t agree to an extension before the 2024-25 season, the Cavs should trade him.

That indeed could be the case. But again, a lot will play out before then. Mitchell and the Cavs still have another entire season together.

While the mainstream media has portrayed Mitchell as wanting to play for his hometown Knicks, he has never once given any such indication. In fact, multiple reports suggested he would’ve been fine staying with the Jazz last season, before they traded him to Cleveland. And at the time, Utah was gutting the roster.

Now, Mitchell is teamed with the likes of Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and others, with the Cavs coming off a 51-31 season. They have also added what they consider some key pieces in wing Max Strus and forward Georges Niang. Theoretically, the Cavs will be even deeper in 2023-24.

So should there be major concern about Mitchell and a supposed desire to leave? Maybe. But without a doubt, that time is not now.