Koby Altman speaks on where things are at with Donovan Mitchell: ‘Very, very much pro-Cleveland’

Recent words from Cleveland Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman should have fans of the team feeling hopeful about the possibility that Donovan Mitchell will eventually sign a contract extension to remain in Cleveland.

“He’s really invested in what we’re doing,” Altman said when speaking on how things are with Mitchell. “And hopefully soon we’ll have more of a decisive answer on that for you, but he’s been great. He’s been super involved and super collaborative and very, very much pro-Cleveland.”

Mitchell has been connected to the storied Los Angeles Lakers franchise of late. Last month, Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that Mitchell is the only player that the Lakers would be willing to give up Austin Reaves as well as three first-round picks for.

“They don’t see – other than Donovan Mitchell who does not appear to be available – they don’t appear to see a player who is worth giving up Austin, giving up the three firsts and being a game-changer and dealing with that salary that would likely kick them over into the second apron,” Amick said.

The 27-year-old’s current contract — which he signed back when he was a member of the Utah Jazz — is set to expire somewhat soon. He is set to be paid an excess of $35 million in the upcoming 2024-25 season, but he then has a player option on his contract for the 2025-26 campaign.

For the second straight season, the Cavaliers were one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference in the 2023-24 regular season. With Mitchell leading the team in points (26.6) and steals (1.8) per game, Cleveland won 48 of its 82 regular-season games and ended up as the No. 4 seed in the conference behind only the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks.

Mitchell also helped the Cavaliers to their first playoff series victory since 2018 in the opening round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. The Cavaliers’ home-court advantage that they earned during the regular season proved to be a deciding factor in the outcome of the series, as the series went to a Game 7, and the home team won all seven contests.

While Mitchell didn’t score the ball at an efficient rate from 3-point range against the Magic (he shot just 25.0 percent), he still averaged 28.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in the best-of-seven series.

The former University of Louisville standout then averaged 31.7 points per game in the following round of the playoffs against the Boston Celtics but played in just three of the five games of the series thanks to a calf injury.

In light of Mitchell’s contributions to a successful 2023-24 campaign for the Cavaliers, fans should be hoping that he will agree to a contract extension with the squad in the near future.