Donovan Mitchell wanted to stay with Cavs. Now comes the hard part

CLEVELAND — Donovan Mitchell didn’t need a sales pitch from the Cavaliers before signing his contract extension.

“I told Koby [Altman], ‘Listen, you ain’t really gotta ask,’” Mitchell said Monday at media day. “The first day it’s allowed [I’m signing]. It wasn’t really much of a talk.”

Remember when the Cavs traded for Mitchell in 2022 and half the conversation was about when he’d leave for the Knicks? Four years later, Cleveland didn’t have to convince him to stay.

Mitchell has given the Cavs every indication he likes it here, and he has backed that up with more than a signature. Last week, he and some teammates went to the Walsh Jesuit–Archbishop Hoban football game. Mitchell talked Monday about hearing from parents whose son was going through a difficult time and couldn’t play, but got to see the Cavs there.

“Everybody comes to see us; why not flip the script and go see them?” Mitchell said. “You never know what that one moment on that particular Friday could do for that one child.”

That stuff matters in a market where the old question was whether a star would ever choose to stay. Mitchell has. He’s embraced the team and shown up for the community.

Of course, signing on for more years also means signing up for the expectations. The Cavs reached the Eastern Conference finals last season. They have the likes of James Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen alongside Mitchell, and the goal isn’t merely to have another good regular season.

“I’ve said I want to be here,” he said. “I’ve said that publicly. I love being here. And now it’s about delivering everything else that comes with it.”

He answered the Cleveland question. The next one gets answered in the playoffs.