Amidst the arrival of James Harden and the Cleveland Cavs’ championship aspirations, All-Star Donovan Mitchell doesn’t have time to even think about NBA Europe. After NBA commissioner Adam Silver revealed talks of a potential new professional league in Europe, one player who showed little interest in the expansion was Mitchell.
In a recent poll of NBA players, Mitchell is reportedly too focused on the Cavs’ championship goals in the States even to consider a potential new league, Joe Vardon of The Athletic reported.
Among the “no’s” were Cavs star Donovan Mitchell, who said, “I got to get a championship with the Cavs first before I do anything else, so I guess the answer is no.”
Among the NBA players who would consider playing in an NBA European league were Charlotte Hornets rookie guard Kon Knueppel and at least 17 others.
Stephen A Smith adds Cavs to his top 5 contenders list
David Richard-Imagn Images
Many believe that the Cavs’ addition of James Harden makes them contenders to win a championship this season. Harden joining forces with All-Star Donovan Mitchell is an intriguing tandem, which Cavs fans hope will push them over the top and into a deep playoff run.
Adding Harden to the Cavs pushed them into the top 5 title contenders, according to ESPN’s Stephen A Smith.
“The Cleveland Cavaliers can make some noise within the Eastern Conference, if not the entire NBA. You can’t look at a roster like that and have them outside the top five with how prolific they can be, particularly on the offensive end of the floor,” Smith said.
Stephen A Smith lists his top five NBA title contenders 🏆
1. Thunder
2. Pistons
3. Knicks
4. Nuggets
5. CavsThoughts? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/Oj3ibHuMOh
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 17, 2026
The defending champion Thunder topped the list.