Donovan Mitchell secured his future with the Cleveland Cavs this summer. Mitchell agreed to a $150.3 million deal that keeps him with the Cavs through 2027-28, but that won’t stop the Elmsford, New York native from showing his fandom for Francisco Lindor and his New York Mets.
Mitchell captioned a homerun from Lindor, stating, “Your insane,” to his X, formerly Twitter account, showing his appreciation for the four-time All-Star.
The Mets beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-2 Wednesday night. Francisco Lindor set the tone as his solo home run triggered a six-run ninth inning for New York after entering the inning trailing the Blue Jays 1-0. The Mets improved to 80-66 and are in the third and final spot of the NL Wild Card, with the Atlanta Braves (79-67) trailing by one game.
Donovan Mitchell’s three-year, $150.3 million extension
Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs to its first appearance in Eastern Conference semifinals since 2018. However, he wasn’t allowed to compete throughout the best-of-7 series against the Boston Celtics after Mitchell suffered a left calf injury that forced him to miss Games 4 and 5, where the Celtics clinched the series 4-1. However, the Cavs’ run to the second round of the NBA playoffs was enough to convince the front office to secure its core players for the foreseeable future.
After the news broke, Mitchell posted the perfect “I’m not leaving” clip from the movie, “The Wolf of Wall Street,” to commemorate the moment.
After firing JB Bickerstaff, Cleveland hired former Brooklyn Nets head coach (2016-20) and former Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson. Then, after signing Mitchell to a three-year extension, the Cavs inked starting center Jarrett Allen to a three-year, $91 million deal. This means all five members of their starting lineup, including Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Max Strus, are all under contract until at least 2026.
And in bringing in Atkinson, Cleveland is hopeful he can guide the Cavs to the next level of competing for an NBA title.
“Kenny brings a wealth of experience, a proven track record of player development, and a relentless work ethic that aligns with the vision we have for this franchise. His innovative approach will instill a style of play and brand of basketball that will give us a chance for sustainable success, and ultimately compete for championships,” Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman said previously, per NBA.com. “His familiarity coaching alongside some of the NBA’s best elevates this partnership, and we are excited that Kenny will guide our team and help us achieve our goals both on and off the court.”
The Cavs begin their preseason schedule against the Chicago Bulls on October 8.
