Kenny Atkinson ‘Spent A Bulk’ Of Offseason ‘Fostering Relationships’ With Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley

According to NBA reporter Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, new Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson spent the bulk of the offseason fostering relationships with Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. 

The Cavaliers signed Atkinson to a five-year deal. 

“Officially hired in early July after an extensive coaching search, Atkinson has spent a bulk of the last three months fostering relationships,” Fedor wrote. “In between other coaching responsibilities, he flew to Las Vegas for a couple days, running players through workouts, having intimate dinners and lengthy sit-downs.

“He ventured to Nashville to work out with Garland and then across the country to Los Angeles for some time alongside Mobley. Immediately following his unforgettable Olympic run with Team France, Atkinson went to Greenwich to spend time with Mitchell, sending Altman and general manager Mike Gansey video clips of Mitchell in the gym splashing jumpers.”

Mitchell, who signed a three-year extension with Cleveland, signed off on the Atkinson hire, sources told Hoops Wire. 

The Cavaliers lost to the Boston Celtics in the second round of the 2024 playoffs in five games. The franchise is hopeful Atkinson can take the team to the next level. 

During an interview with NBA reporter Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Mitchell spoke about the Cavaliers firing JB Bickerstaff and hiring Atkinson.

“It is part of the game, part of the business,” Mitchell said. “I got respect for J.B. and especially what he’s done here in Cleveland for what he did during the five years he was here. But it’s just part of it.

“And for us, bringing in Kenny I think is going to be a great addition to what we’ve continued to build. If you look at what he’s done and what he did in Brooklyn [as a head coach], obviously being with Golden State [as an assistant coach] the past few years and then being [an assistant coach] with the French national team, he’s been around a lot of winning at a high level. So being able to bring that here, it’s something that’s going to definitely help us continue our trajectory of going upward, going forward and continuing to build. That’s the biggest thing, continue to build. And you can’t skip steps. That’s the biggest thing. You got to continue to find ways to win.”