Friday marked the first day the Cavaliers were permitted to submit an extension offer to Donovan Mitchell, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The All-Star guard has two years left on his current contract, along with a $37MM player option for 2025/26. President of basketball operations Koby Altman hopes to iron out a long-term agreement this summer and shut down rumors that the New York native has an eye on eventually joining the Knicks in free agency.
Altman said the front office will have “internal discussions” about the details of an extension that he hopes will appeal to Mitchell. He added that keeping a competitive roster around Mitchell is the best way to make him want to stay in Cleveland.
“He’s really, really happy here and he’ll tell you that,” Altman said. “All I can go off is Donovan’s actions and his intentions. He’s with us in Vegas right now. He’s super excited about the future. He’ll be at the game tonight. He’s been in Cleveland multiple times this offseason already. He’s worked out with guys, he’s bringing guys with him wherever he is. All you can go off are those actions and how genuine he talks about his experience in Cleveland. I think he sees the runway of the players around him and the youth around him. All I can go off is his actions and his intentions and they’ve all been really genuine.”
There’s more on the Cavaliers:
- Altman told reporters that Mitchell helped with recruiting during free agency, Fedor relays. Cleveland was able to re-sign Caris LeVert, bring in Max Strus in a sign-and-trade and add Georges Niang and Ty Jerome, even though Fedor notes that they all had other options. “This is the team they wanted to come to,” Altman said. “They saw the fit. They saw the upside. They think that we can go a long way.”
- Altman pledged to keep the core of last year’s team together and dismissed speculation that he was considering offers for Darius Garland, calling it “the most crazy rumor you’ve ever heard in your life,” Fedor adds.
- The Cavs are hoping for gradual progress from second-round pick Emoni Bates, Fedor states in a separate Cleveland.com story. Bates, who was once considered the top high school prospect in the nation, is hoping to re-establish himself after struggling through two collegiate seasons. “There’s no expectation here,” Altman said. “Don’t have to come in here and shock the world. Really learn from this group and have fun again. If he blossoms into a rotational player down the road that can really help us space the floor and shoot, which I think is one of his best traits, that’d be great. But no expectation for him and certainly have patience and let him grow.”
Really gotta believe there’s some chance that he does a re-sign but forces a deal to NY in a year or within his last year, otherwise he plays it out. Knicks have the assets to move and make Cleveland whole. Not their preference, but why risk it.
The Cavs would trade Allen first. They aren’t trading Mitchell unless he leaves them no choice whatsoever. It’s never made sense to me that they’d trade Mitchell unless he says “trade me or I’m sitting out the whole year”, which I can’t see him doing. Even trading Garland makes more sense.
The Knicks may have beat the Cavs in the playoffs but the long term outlook is better for the Cavs. Other than playing for his home town team, why would he leave?
If DM wants to play for the NYK, or simply have his choice of destinations when his contract is up, then he shouldn’t fall into trap of just signing every extension put in front of him, and assuming he can just demand a trade when he wants out. He should at least wait until he sees what happens with Lillard. This “new free agency” system is not sustainable.
I figured some team would take the gamble on Emoni Bates and his “ceiling.”
Most 2nd Round guys don’t contribute to a playoff team anyways, especially in their first year, so why not let him learn from their younger players and vets, let him grow in the G league and in practice, and just see how he responds…
I could easily see Bates becoming a solid scoring option off the bench that’s capable of creating for himself and others off the dribble. If you can get that for a 2nd Round pick that’s a W every time.
To me the Cavs only need to run it back. They are still growing in yrs and experience. I thought they were better than Knicks. But showed their age and inexperienced beign together in playoffs. That’s a good learning experience imo. They have added depth. And are a yr older. I think they are a dangerous team and can challenge for the East. It was the first yr for team as it’s built. They will come to play this year.