Donovan Mitchell's Ultimatum To Cleveland Cavaliers, Revealed

Donovan Mitchell apparently made some demands to the Cleveland Cavaliers before signing his contract extension.

Feb 5, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) reacts in the first quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Donovan Mitchell signed a three-year, $150 million contract extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier this summer, but he did not put pen to paper without making some demands first.

Apparently, Mitchell told the Cavaliers to keep both Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen, via Ashish Mathur of Hoops Wire.

Mitchell's affinity for Allen was revealed earlier this offseason, when rumors swirled that he was urging Cleveland to retain Allen.

However, Mitchell's desire for the Cavs to also keep Garland is a bit more surprising.

The Cavaliers' second-round playoff exit this past spring prompted speculation that Cleveland could ultimately break up the Mitchell-Garland backcourt pairing, especially after Garland took a significant step back during the 2023-24 campaign.

There was also chatter that Garland himself may have wanted out, but he quelled those trade rumors.

Multiple teams expressed interest in trading for Garland this offseason, but the Cavs rebuffed those advances. They did the same thing for Allen before eventually signing the big man to a three-year contract extension last month.

That Mitchell has such serious pull with the Cavaliers' front office is hardly astounding. He is their franchise player, and they traded a treasure trove of assets to acquire him from the Utah Jazz in September 2022.

Evidently, Mitchell feels comfortable running it back with the same core group. Not only did Cleveland sign both Mitchell and Allen to new deals, but it also extended Evan Mobley. Meanwhile, Garland inked a fresh contract with the Cavs two years ago.

We'll see if the Cavaliers can make any progress next season.