(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Small-market teams rarely thrive in the NBA offseason.
They have a tough time getting stars to join them, and that also applies when it comes to actually retaining them.
That wasn’t the case with the Cleveland Cavaliers this time around.
Donovan Mitchell agreed on a three-year contract extension worth roughly over $150 million, and he’ll now be tied to the organization until at least 2027.
He has a player option for the final year of his contract, and he’ll be eligible for a supermax extension worth a whopping $380 million, but that’s something to worry about in the future.
With that in mind, ESPN insider Brian Windhorst stated that this offseason was already a big success for the Cavaliers organization.
“It’s the second biggest contract signing in the history of the organization after LeBron coming back in 2014,” – @WindhorstESPN on Donovan Mitchell extending with the Cavs. pic.twitter.com/fvyrPLfygT
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) July 2, 2024
Talking on ESPN Cleveland, he argued that this was the second-biggest contract in franchise history after LeBron James’ homecoming in 2014.
He stated that the Cavs would’ve had no choice but to trade Mitchell if he didn’t sign an extension right now, and all the draft capital they gave to get him was just too big to get him for two seasons.
Mitchell has been nothing but a professional since he arrived in Cleveland.
He didn’t want to get ahead of himself and often snubbed all the contract extension talk, which led to countless speculation about his future.
But despite all the rumors about his alleged desire to play for his hometown New York Knicks and even knowing he had the leverage to force his way to the Big Apple, he chose to do things the hard way and win in Cleveland.
The post Brian Windhorst Says Cavs’ Offseason Is Already A Success appeared first on The Cold Wire.