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07/07 10:09 CDT Donovan Mitchell agrees to 4-year, $273 million extension with
Cavaliers, AP source says
Donovan Mitchell agrees to 4-year, $273 million extension with Cavaliers, AP
source says
By JOE REEDY
AP Sports Writer
CLEVELAND (AP) --- Donovan Mitchell has agreed to a four-year, $273 million
contract extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers, a person familiar with the
deal told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the extension had
not been announced. Tuesday was the first day that the Cavaliers could offer
Mitchell the extension. The seven-time All-Star had two seasons remaining on
his contract and could have waited to re-sign until next summer, when he would
be eligible for a five-year supermax deal worth $350 million.
The extension includes a $76 million player option for the 2030-31 season and a
full trade kicker, the person said.
"I love it here. I don't know how else to say it. I have no doubt these guys
can get there. We have unfinished business," Mitchell said on May 25 after the
Cavaliers were swept by the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals.
For now, it is the fourth-biggest contract in terms of total value in NBA
history behind the $314 million contract Boston gave to Jayson Tatum, the $285
million deal that the Celtics gave to Jaylen Brown -- who now plays for
Philadelphia -- and the $276 million deal that Nikola Jokic currently has with
Denver.
That assumes Mitchell will pick up a player option worth nearly $76 million for
2030-31. The average annual value of just over $68 million is, for now, an NBA
record, barely passing the $67.9 million average value of the deal that Shai
Gilgeous-Alexander has with Oklahoma City.
"When we have a superstar of his caliber that wants to be in Cleveland, that's
our best ambassador, that's our best recruiter. There's guys that are here that
wouldn't be here without him, quite frankly," Cavaliers' president of
basketball operation Koby Altman said about Mitchell and an extension on May
29. "So I think the bigger question is, the one that's been answered is, does
he want be here and does he want to be here long term? And I think he's
answered that."
The 29-year-old Mitchell led the Cavaliers this past season to their first
conference final since 2018. He averaged 27.9 points, 5.7 assists and 4.5
rebounds during the regular season, along with 26 points in the playoffs.
Mitchell is averaging 26.7 points in four seasons with Cleveland since he was
traded by the Utah Jazz in 2022.
Mitchell's extension is the first in what is likely to be a series of moves for
the Cavaliers. There is the possibility LeBron James could return to his
hometown franchise, which he led to its first championship in 2016. James
Harden --- whom the Cavaliers acquired at the trade deadline --- also is
considering a new deal to remain with Cleveland after turning down his player
option for 2026-27.
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AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
