CLEVELAND — All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell has agreed to a three-year, $150.3 million contract extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Mitchell’s choice to commit to the Cavaliers has been expected for some time.
The 27-year-old said multiple times last season that he is happy playing for Cleveland, which acquired him in a trade from Utah in 2022. The Cavs made the playoffs in both seasons with Mitchell.
He agreed to the deal in Los Angeles over the weekend, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the NBA prohibits deals from being announced until its moratorium ends on Saturday. ESPN was first to report Mitchell’s deal.
The extension includes a player option for the 2027-28 season, the source said. Mitchell was under contract for one more season.
Mitchell was in Los Angeles organizing a basketball camp for some of the best high school guards in the country. He was visited by new Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson which was formally presented by the team at a press conference on Monday.
Atkinson has been Golden State’s top assistant the past three seasons. Previously, he coached the Brooklyn Nets.
The Cavs’ decision to sign Mitchell two years ago came as a surprise. It looked like he was on his way to playing for his hometown New York Knicks before Cleveland came along. Mitchell’s arrival accelerated the Cavs’ rebuild, which began when LeBron James left as a free agent for the second time in 2018.
Mitchell averaged 26.6 points, 6.1 assists and 5.1 rebounds last season, but was limited to just 55 games due to a left knee injury. Mitchell was slowed by injury in the playoffs and advanced before sitting out Cleveland’s final two games in the Eastern Conference semifinals with a calf injury.
The Cavs were eliminated in five games by the eventual champion Boston Celtics and fired head coach JB Bickerstaff a week later.
In two seasons with Cleveland, Mitchell averaged 27.5 points, 5.2 assists and 4.6 rebounds. He scored a career-high 71 in his first season in a game against Chicago.
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