NBA Analysis Network’s Grant Afseth provided Cleveland Cavaliers fans with an exciting update on what the future may hold for star guard Donovan Mitchell.
“According to multiple league sources who have told NBA Analysis Network, the growing sentiment around the NBA is that Donovan Mitchell plans to remain with the Cleveland Cavaliers after his current contract expires,” Afseth wrote.
“Granted, it’s early in the process of how star players make decisions. Regardless, If that holds, the Cavs could become a trade buyer to watch as they continue to shape the roster around Mitchell.”
That report from Afseth comes on the heels of Georges Niang — a teammate of Mitchell on the Cavaliers — making an educated guess regarding the 27-year-old’s future in Cleveland.
“I don’t like speaking on other people’s futures,” Niang said. “But, from the vibes that I get around here and from when I was with him in Utah and our experiences over there, I would lean towards him being a Cavalier for a long time. And that’s just my personal thought. That has nothing to do with what he’s gonna do ’cause he’s his own person, but I think he genuinely enjoys this organization, the situation that he’s in and how it can continue to help grow his career and his ability to win.”
This season, Mitchell is averaging a team-high 27.4 points to go along with 5.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game on 46.8 percent shooting from the floor and 37.3 percent from 3-point range in 49 appearances.
He has been sidelined for each of the Cavaliers’ last five games, as he hasn’t taken the court for Cleveland since the team’s loss to the Houston Rockets back on March 16. Mitchell accumulated 13 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal in the defeat, playing just 26 minutes.
The Cavaliers’ record over their past five contests indicates that they miss Mitchell’s presence on the floor. Cleveland owns just a 2-3 record over that span, with two of those losses coming against the Miami Heat and one against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Thanks to their skid, the Cavaliers are at risk of dropping to the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference standings, considering the New York Knicks — the current No. 4 seed in the conference — trail them by just half a game. The Orlando Magic are also within striking distance, meaning the Cavs could slide down to the No. 5 spot if they aren’t careful.
Cleveland is fresh off a win, though. The Cavaliers beat the Charlotte Hornets by 23 points on Monday thanks in part to a dominant showing from big man Jarrett Allen, who dropped 17 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and one steal while shooting 7-of-9 from the floor.
Allen was one of three players to score 17 points for Cleveland, as both Evan Mobley and Niang finished with the exact same point total.
The Cavaliers will take on the lowly Hornets for a second game in a row on Wednesday night. Cleveland is looking to build some momentum to close the regular season.
