Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is confident that All-Star Donovan Mitchell will sign a contract extension.
Mitchell is less so.
The Cleveland Cavaliers guard addressed the topic with reporters after Friday’s 117-114 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. The game and media appearance were Mitchell’s first after a six-game absence with a nasal fracture. When asked about his contract situation, Mitchell deferred.
Donovan Mitchell remained non-committal on signing an extension with the Cavs after Dan Gilbert’s comments:
“I got a lot of things to focus on outside of that right now… So, I’ll handle that when it comes… I’m gonna give you the same answer.”
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“I think the biggest thing for me, as I said before to you earlier — I mean obviously you have to ask the question,” Mitchell said. “But my focus is — I’ve got a lot of things to focus on outside of that right now. I’ve got to focus on myself, getting back for this group, focus on us getting over this stretch, continuing to be ready when it comes time.
“So, I’ll handle that when it comes. I understand you gotta ask that question, and I’ll give you the same answer.”
That’s far from a no. But the Cavs and their fans would surely prefer to hear an enthusiastic commitment from their best player.
Mitchell has one year remaining after this season on a 5-year, $163 million deal he signed with the Utah Jazz before joining the Cavs via trade in the 2022 offseason. He has a $37 million player option for the 2025-26 season that he’s not expected to exercise.
He’ll be eligible this summer for a four-year extension valued at roughly $200 million. He could also test free agency in 2025.
Gilbert thinks he’ll extend.
“We’ve been talking to him, sure, for the last couple of years about extending this contract,” Gilbert told the Associated Press on Thursday. “We think he will extend. I think if you listen to him talk, he loves the city.
“He loves the situation in Cleveland because our players are very young and we’re just kind of putting the core together that he’s clearly the biggest part of.”
For now, the Cavs are locked in a playoff bottle in the top half of the Eastern Conference standings. They entered Saturday in third place, two games behind the Milwaukee Bucks and a half game ahead of the New York Knicks. For now, that’s all Mitchell’s interested in talking about.
