Miami Heat's Udonis Haslem Not Falling For Donovan Mitchell Happy In Cleveland Narrative

Anthony Pasciolla | May 28, 2024

Jan 19, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Former Miami Heat player Udonis Haslem walks onto the court prior to his jersey retirement ceremony during halftime of the game between the Miami Heat and the Atlanta Hawks Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Udonis Haslem is not giving up hope on Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell joining the Miami Heat this summer.

Despite remarks from Mitchell and Cavaliers president Koby Altman expressing a desire to stay with the organization, Haslem believes the lack of contract negotiations speaks volumes. The five-time All-Star's player option for the 2026 season is leading most to expect a trade if an extension is not signed.

"When you talk about Cleveland, I don't want no parts of that until I understand what Donovan Mitchell is going to do," Haslem said on an episode of ESPN's First Take. "He says he's happy there, but he didn't sign the extension, so I'm calling cap. If you're happy, sign the extension so we, as a front office, can say, 'Hey, we got Donovan Mitchell locked in. This is what we're going to look like the next couple years. This is the plan.'"

Of the three NBA head coach openings, @ThisIsUD says the Wizards are the most desirable 👀 pic.twitter.com/wMSlLcMkEx

— First Take (@FirstTake) May 27, 2024

In defense of Haslem's point, superstar LeBron James said on the Dan Patrick Show in 2009, “I think I’m happy in Cleveland. I have no plans on going anywhere and playing the game of basketball.” A year later, James left the Cavaliers to team up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Heat.

The Heat have been linked with Mitchell for the past three years. They made a strong pitch in the summer of 2022 before he was traded from the Utah Jazz to the Cavs. The Heat believe they have an inside track on signing Mitchell because of his friendship with center Bam Adebayo.

The Heat big man publicly made a pitch to the star on social media after a fan offered a Playstation 5 if Adebayo could help bring Mitchell to Miami, which he responded to with a GIF of actor Will Ferrell thinking.

Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Inside the Heat. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or follow him on Instagram @anthony.pasciolla.