Cavaliers: Donovan Mitchell agrees to three-year, $150.3 million deal

Donovan Mitchell is sticking around, which he doesn't think should be a surprise to anyone. After all, he posted Tuesday on social media, that's what he's been saying all along. The five-time All-Star agreed to a three-year, $150.3 million contract extension with the Cavaliers. ESPN first reported the news. Mitchell has yet to sign the deal that will keep him under contract through at least 2027. The deal includes a $54 million player option for the 2027-28 season, according to The Associated Press, which also noted that under the new deal, Mitchell can reach a 10-year criteria and a possible $380 million five-year extension in 2027. The deal can be announced Saturday when the NBA moratorium ends. Mitchell sent out two messages on X, formerly Twitter, including one while driving in his car. Mitchell said he just couldn't understand all the "rumors" about him leaving for greener pastures. "The whole year I've been saying the same (stuff) about how much I like it," he said. "I'm glad I got this (stuff) done, Cleveland. Every day, it's like he's going to do this or do that. I don't understand it. It is what it is." The other message had a "Wolf of Wall Street" theme. "I'm not (expletive) leaving," actor Leonardo DiCaprio said in the movie clip. "The show goes on. This is my home." Those rumors started after he was traded to the Cavs from Utah in 2022. The New York Knicks were also interested in acquiring Mitchell, but the Cavs sweetened the deal with several young players and first-round draft picks. Acquiring Mitchell made them a serious contender in the East. The Cavs intend to keep their "core four" together and now with their new coach, they want to make another run at a championship. Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman said he met with Mitchell on Saturday in Los Angeles during the player's Adidas basketball camp. Mitchell agreed to the deal then, a source told AP. "He's in a great space," Altman said Monday during new coach Kenny Atkinson's introductory news conference. "Mentally, he's healthy. I really enjoyed the fact that him and Kenny could sit down and talk about the future, talk about the team. "He's invested. He's really invested in what we're doing and, hopefully, soon we'll have more of a decisive venture on that for you. But he's been great. He's been super involved and super collaborative and very, very much pro-Cleveland." Mitchell, 27, seemed headed toward an All-NBA season last year before injuries took their toll. He had a bone bruise in his knee that limited him to 55 games, below the league's 65-game standard for players earning postseason honors. The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder averaged 26.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.8 steals and 0.5 blocks. All were career highs with the exception of his scoring average. Mitchell shot .462 from the field, .368 from the 3-point line and .865 from the foul line. The Louisville product suffered a calf injury in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the eventual champion Boston Celtics and missed the last two games of the series. The Celtics eliminated the Cavs in five games. Mitchell had one season left on his original contract for 2024-25, as well as a player option for the 2025-26. If he had declined an extension, the Cavs would have been forced to trade him. But things never headed in that direction. Altman's work isn't over by any means this summer. He could attempt to sign forward/center Evan Mobley to a contract extension and try to re-sign restricted free agents Isaac Okoro and Emoni Bates. Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.