The Cleveland Cavaliers had been eradicated from the postseason by the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, and now, all eyes flip to their greatest participant: Donovan Mitchell. Cleveland’s All-Star guard is eligible for a four-year contract extension this offseason value roughly $208 million. If he doesn’t signal it, he’ll change into a free agent subsequent summer season. Ought to Mitchell inform the Cavaliers that he doesn’t plan to re-sign, they must discover commerce choices or threat shedding him for nothing in a single 12 months.
Whereas Mitchell has staunchly refused to touch upon his future, the widespread rumor all through Mitchell’s two years in Cleveland was that he would finally search a transfer to an even bigger metropolis. The final time he was on the heart of commerce rumors, he was linked to his hometown New York Knicks. He even admitted that he thought he was going to New York on the time.
Nevertheless, based on Shams Charania, Jason Lloyd and Joe Vardon of The Athletic, “there’s a rising sentiment across the league that the Cavaliers will be capable to place themselves to obtain his dedication” on a long-term extension. In accordance with teammates in that very same report, Mitchell has been “singularly targeted on profitable and wanting Cleveland to goal a lot greater than a first-round sequence victory for its measure of success.” Mitchell himself has publicly set the next bar for the Cavaliers than their second-round exit. “My purpose is to make the convention finals and get to the NBA Finals, you recognize what I imply? That is what I am judged on,” Mitchell instructed Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor in April.
Adjustments of some kind will doubtless must be made for the Cavaliers to succeed in these lofty heights. It definitely appears as if modifications are on the best way, based on that report by The Athletic, which cites three key pivot factors for Cleveland this offseason:
- Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s job is reportedly in “severe jeopardy,” and Mitchell himself “didn’t have nice confidence in Bickerstaff,” based on The Athletic. Usually, when a star is sad with a coach, a change follows, however there isn’t a apparent candidate to switch Bickerstaff. Probably the most embellished veteran coach in the marketplace, Mike Budenholzer, has already taken the pinnacle job with the Phoenix Suns, and the Cavaliers must compete with the Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards for any remaining coach in the marketplace.
- Ought to Mitchell elect to remain in Cleveland, his backcourt-mate, Darius Garland, could also be on the transfer. In accordance with The Athletic, Garland’s agent, Wealthy Paul, “would have a dialog with Cavs officers on doubtlessly discovering a brand new dwelling for the one-time All-Star” ought to Mitchell re-sign. Garland is coming off of a disappointing season by which he averaged solely 18 factors per sport, and he put up solely 11 within the season-ending loss to Boston regardless of accidents preserving Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert off of the ground. The match between Mitchell and Garland has been shaky during the last two seasons. They’re each smaller, ball-dominant guards that are not high-end defenders.
- Cleveland has one other positional logjam to deal with. The Cavalier offense has struggled to attain sustainably with each Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley on the ground. The Cavaliers went 19-13 when Allen performed with out Mobley this season, and Mobley’s offensive numbers jumped within the playoffs as soon as Allen received harm. Neither of them can shoot from deep, and that has severely restricted Cleveland’s spacing.
Whereas the specifics are nonetheless to be decided, it’s rising more and more doubtless that the Cavaliers look very totally different on the courtroom subsequent season. Probably the most aggressive model of their offseason sees them change coaches and transfer one in every of their guards and one in every of their huge males to create a extra trendy lineup that emphasizes capturing and defensive versatility extra.
That’s doubtless the long run Cleveland will pitch Mitchell on. The Cavaliers have loads of expertise to work with, and that ought to assist them appeal to a top quality coach in the event that they in the end elect to fireside Bickerstaff. Mitchell’s major purpose in the meanwhile seems to be profitable, and if Cleveland can persuade him he can accomplish that with out shifting, it now seems as if it’s going to have an actual probability of securing his signature on a contract extension.
