Cavs GM confident Donovan Mitchell will sign extension

Owner Dan Gilbert believes star guard Donovan Mitchell will eventually sign a long-term extension to remain with the Cavaliers, per Larry Lage of The Associated Press.

“We’ve been talking to him, sure, for the last couple of years about extending this contract,” Gilbert said Thursday in an interview with The Associated Press. “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.”

Mitchell is in the third season of a five-year rookie scale extension he signed with Utah before being traded to Cleveland in 2022. However, the 27-year-old could become a free agent in 2025 if he declines his $37.1M player option for 2025-26.

A five-time All-Star, Mitchell made his first All-NBA appearance in 2022-23. While Mitchell won’t earn an All-NBA spot this season (he’s missed too many games), that won’t impact his next contract since he’s no longer eligible for a super-max deal after being traded. However, he will be extension-eligible as of this July.

The Cavaliers could offer Mitchell a new contract worth 30% of the 2025-26 cap and cover up to four seasons (through 2028-29), with 8% annual raises. Based on the latest cap projections, that four-year max extension would be worth an estimated $199M.

Mitchell, who has been dealing with a nagging knee injury and a nasal fracture, could reportedly return to action on Friday. He has missed the past six games — and 13 of the past 15 — as he recovers from the injuries.

The Cavaliers have been in a skid of late, going 4-8 over their last 12 games to hold a 44-29 record, good for the No. 4 seed in the East. Lage notes that they’ve gone 11-13 without Mitchell this season.