Could Donovan Mitchell Sign a Short-Term Contract Extension With The Cavaliers?

Donovan Mitchell is eligible to sign a four-year, $208 million deal with the Cavaliers, but he may prefer to go a different route.

May 11, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) celebrates after making a three-point basket against the Boston Celtics in the first quarter of game three of the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The general consensus is that Donovan Mitchell will remain with the Cleveland Cavaliers heading into next season in spite of all of the trade speculation that says otherwise.

Mitchell has one year of club control remaining on his contract and has a player option for the 2025-26 campaign, one that he would almost certainly decline if it gets to that point.

However, most feel that the five-time All-Star will ultimately re-up with the Cavaliers on a four-year, $208 million extension this offseason, rendering the aforementioned option moot.

But is it possible that Mitchell actually signs a shorter extension with Cleveland in order to maintain flexibility for the future?

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com posed the possibility during a recent appearance on the HoopsHype Podcast with Michael Scotto.

In this scenario, Mitchell would sign a three-year, $151 million pact that would start in 2025-26 and would contain a player option for the 2027-28 campaign.

So, essentially, it would be a two-year extension for Mitchell. It would also set him up to land a max deal in 2027 that would be worth 35 percent of the cap instead of 30 percent because he would have a decade of service under his belt by that time.

Not only would it make sense for Mitchell from a financial perspective, but it would also give him a quicker exit route if he isn't happy with the Cavs' direction.

While the Cavaliers would almost surely prefer to squeeze an extra year out of the deal, they would almost certainly give in to Mitchell's demands if push comes to shove.

Cleveland seems adamant on wanting to retain Mitchell long term, and it would definitely rather have him for two more years rather than potentially not having him at all next season (Mitchell could always request a trade if negotiations don't proceed according to his liking).

The Cavs initially acquired Mitchell in a blockbuster trade with the Utah Jazz in September 2022 and paid a hefty price to land him, parting with big man Lauri Markkanen and a wealth of unprotected draft picks. Taking that exorbitant cost into consideration, the Cavaliers will obviously do whatever it takes to protect their investment.

If Mitchell digs in his heels and demands a short-term extension, expect Cleveland to cave.

We'll see how everything unfolds in the coming weeks.