As the Cleveland Cavaliers prepare for the playoff series against the Toronto Raptors in the first round, the latest reporting suggests that changes could be coming, especially dealing with star Donovan Mitchell. While Mitchell leads the Cavs along with James Harden, the two are no doubt a major part of the team being expensive, as this NBA insider discusses the one scenario where the franchise would deal Mitchell.
As Fred Katz of The Athletic mentions, Cleveland is the only team in the NBA to “cross the second-apron payroll threshold this season and is in danger of doing the same in 2026-27.” That is, unless the team makes changes on the margins to a core player.
The topic of Mitchell is brought up as he is eligible for a contract extension in the summer and can hit free agency in 2027. It seems the team wants to settle the situation as quickly as possible, saying that if signed, the team will be moving forward with the star, and if not, the Cavs will talk about the potential of moving Mitchell.
The Cavs want to keep Donovan Mitchell
Mitchell is in the midst of another stellar season, averaging 27.9 points, 5,7 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game while shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from deep. While the discussion of trading Mitchell would scare fans, Katz emphasizes how the team doesn’t want to “get to that point.”
“The Cavaliers are eager not to get to that point,” Katz wrote. “They love Mitchell, who will make yet another All-NBA team after another spectacular season. And there is zero evidence that Mitchell wants to be elsewhere. But such is the way of the league these days, when windows are only so long, which is why Cleveland’s window is now, when Eastern Conference favorite changes depending on who you ask.”
It remains to be seen if there is a sudden change of heart from Cleveland, and especially Mitchell, who could have other thoughts on a potential contract extension. At any rate, Mitchell and the Cavs are focused on the Raptors, with Game 1 of the series starting Saturday night.