The city of Cleveland has fallen in love with Donovan Mitchell. It seems the feeling is mutual, as the seven-time All-Star once again opened up about his time in the land.
“I love Cleveland,” Mitchell told The Athletic. “I’ve said it before: I want to play here for as long as I can.”
Mitchell is on contract until the 2027-28 NBA season, with a player option that he’s likely to exercise in 2027. The Cavs have an incentive to extend him as soon as possible, and he’ll be eligible for another max payday
when that time comes.
“The goal is to win — as long as we’re continuing to win at the highest level,” said Mitchell. “But I love it, man. It’s a place that I feel like I can call home, you know what I mean? And I feel good. My fiancée feels good about it.”
It certainly bodes well for the Cavs that Mitchell appears to be happy in Cleveland. He’s proven he can raise their floor significantly in the regular season and potentially gives them a championship-caliber season.
Even with all of the injuries this year, Cleveland finished 4th in the Eastern Conference with 52 wins for just the ninth time in franchise history. Mitchell’s 27.9 points per game made that possible.
The Cavs start their playoff journey on Saturday with a first-round series against the Toronto Raptors. If both Mitchell and the Cavs want to justify another long-term commitment to each other, then success in the upcoming postseason will be a good place to start.
