By james art 
Kirk Irwin/Getty Images
Although he has occasionally been mentioned in trade rumors in recent months, Donovan Mitchell is now committed to the Cleveland Cavaliers for the next few years.
Mitchell and Cleveland agreed to a new three-year, $150.3 million contract on Tuesday that includes a player option for the 2027-28 season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The deal was confirmed by Mitchell, who posted the famous “I ain’t leaving the hell” video from The Wolf of Wall Street of X:
The structure of the deal is notable because Mitchell was eligible to sign for up to four years and $207.8 million, but accepting a three-year extension with a player option would allow him to potentially hit the market when he is 30 years old.
The Louisville product was previously under contract for the 2024-25 season with a $37.1 million player option for the 2025-26 campaign.
In particular, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported in May that Cleveland was “very optimistic” Mitchell would re-sign a four-year deal following the firing of head coach JB Bickerstaff and the subsequent hiring of Kenny Atkinson.
This optimism turned out to be justified.
Mitchell also gave something of a timeline for how he envisions his contract decision when he told reporters at media day before the 2023-24 season that he won’t sign the extension that year, but still may do so in the future.
“I want it to be known that I still have the opportunity to sign an extension next summer,” he said. “I don’t think a lot of people understand that aspect.”
Mitchell expressed that his focus is on winning a championship and that he is “really excited about what’s ahead of us here. We can do something special. Ultimately, when the season is over, we’ll get there.”
Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor explained that Mitchell is eligible for a three-year extension worth roughly $150 million through the 2023 offseason, but could get an extra year on his contract and more money if he waits to sign until this offseason. That left little incentive to rush into extension during those comments.
President of basketball operations Kobe Altman seemed to agree as well.
“The conversations with him have been super positive — the composition of the lineup, how we want to play this year, how you take your teammates with you, where we train in the offseason,” he said at the time. “I know he wants to be a part of this thing. He will be super excited to start this season and try to get some big wins.”
Mitchell is now part of the Cavaliers for the foreseeable future and figures to be a driving force for them.
He wasted no time making an impact on the team as an All-NBA Second Team selection in his first season in Cleveland, averaging 28.3 points, 4.4 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game behind 48.4 percent shooting from the field and 38.6 percent shooting from deep.
The Cavaliers disappointed with their first-round exit in the playoffs, but the future still looked bright with Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen leading the way.
Last season, he averaged 26.6 points, 6.1 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the floor and 36.8 percent from three-point range en route to a fifth another All-Star nod.
Cleveland advanced to the second round of the playoffs with a first-round victory over the Orlando Magic, but lost in five games to the Boston Celtics. Mitchell sat out the final two games of the Boston series with a calf injury.
Mitchell was also a three-time All-Star in his five seasons with the Utah Jazz and established himself as one of the best guards in the league. He can take over games with his outside shooting and ability to attack the basket and is sure to remain a focal point in Cleveland’s offense for years to come.
There will also be some contract stability now as he chases the first title of his career.