Donovan Mitchell Will Only Remain With Cavaliers On 1 Condition

Donovan Mitchell has made it no secret that he will not commit to the Cleveland Cavaliers long-term.

With his player option looming in 2025-26, the Cavs now face a difficult decision: trade him or risk that he walks for nothing.

While Mitchell has enjoyed a ton of success with Cleveland since being traded there by the Utah Jazz, for whatever reason, he doesn’t seem to be a big fan of the franchise.

Despite having statistically excellent campaigns with the Cavaliers and currently being one of the Eastern Conference’s top teams, Mitchell seems unimpressed with the idea of staying in Cleveland for the long haul.

This week, Eric Pincus of Bleacher report broke down the one condition under which Mitchell will consider remaining with the Cavs.

“The buzz in NBA circles suggests that barring a run to the NBA Finals, Mitchell will decline an extension and look elsewhere, and the Cavaliers are more likely than not to move him well before he can leave outright as a free agent,” he wrote.

Facing an NBA Finals-or-bust situation is a rough one for the Cavs. They are good, but are they really better than the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks or Miami Heat?

Probably not.

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Because of that, sooner rather than later ownership will need to figure out a way to ensure that their original bet on Mitchell doesn’t prove to be a bust.

“Cleveland gave up three first-round picks, two first-round swaps, a future All-Star in Lauri Markkanen, the just-drafted Ochai Agbaji and Collin Sexton for Mitchell. The Cavs can’t let that turn into two or three brief playoff runs, followed by Mitchell walking in free agency for nothing in return,” Pincus noted.

Will Mitchell and the Cavs be able to make a long enough playoff run to inspire him to stay in Cleveland long-term? An answer one way or the other is coming in the next few months.

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Anthony Amador

A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school Games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.