Report: Donovan Mitchell To Remain With Cavaliers, Kenny Atkinson Was His ‘Preferred Choice’

According to NBA insider Matt Moore of The Action Network, Donovan Mitchell will sign an extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers this offseason. 

Kenny Atkinson was Mitchell’s “preferred choice” as head coach.

The Cavaliers are signing Atkinson to a five-year deal.

“It would put shockwaves through the league if Donovan Mitchell didn’t agree to a ‘3+1’ max contract extension for three years with a player option,” Moore wrote. “Kenny Atkinson was hired last week and was known to be Mitchell’s preferred choice for the next head coach. All indications are that the Cavs are going to get to keep Mitchell.”

Atkinson went 118-190 with the Brooklyn Nets in the regular season. He was 1-4 in the playoffs. 

Atkinson has strong relationships with Cavaliers big man Jarrett Allen and small forward Caris LeVert. He coached them in Brooklyn.  

One of the top scorers in the NBA, Mitchell averaged 26.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists in 2023-24 while shooting 46.2% from the field, 36.8% from beyond the arc and 86.5% from the free-throw line.

The Cavaliers beat the Orlando Magic in the first round of the 2024 playoffs in seven games and lost to the Boston Celtics in the second round in five games. 

Mitchell is averaging 27.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.5 blocks with the Cavaliers, who drafted Jaylon Tyson in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft. 

According to NBA insider Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, Cavaliers exec Koby Altman “spearheaded” the hiring of Atkinson. Cleveland hired Atkinson over James Borrego. 

JB Bickerstaff was fired in May. According to NBA insiders Shams Charania, Joe Vardon and Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, Altman admonished Bickerstaff in front of his entire staff for playing Mitchell heavy minutes against the Houston Rockets on December 18. 

“In the second game after they learned in December they’d be without both Darius Garland and Evan Mobley for a while, the Cavaliers beat the Rockets in overtime,” Charania, Vardon and Lloyd wrote. “That night on Dec. 18, Mitchell played 45 minutes, including the entire second half and all but four seconds of the extra period.

“After the game, Altman walked into the coach’s office and admonished Bickerstaff in front of his entire staff for playing Mitchell such heavy minutes, multiple sources briefed on the interaction told The Athletic. Descriptions of the incident spread across the organization, including the locker room.”