Cavaliers continue to hold out hope of retaining Donovan Mitchell

Donovan Mitchell's future with the Cleveland Cavaliers is projected to be the saga of the summer. The All-Star guard has two years left on his current contract, with the second year being a player option. 

However, if he doesn't commit his future to the Eastern Conference franchise this summer, it may look to cut its loss and trade him rather than lose him for nothing in a year. 

According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the Cavaliers remain confident in convincing Mitchell to stay with the franchise long-term.

“The Cavs remain optimistic that Donovan is signing," Windhorst said. "They believe he’s gonna, and I think a lot of their offseason planning and a lot of their offseason discussions is with the strong belief that they’re keeping him.” 

If the Cavaliers do sign Mitchell to an extension, it will trigger other issues within the franchise. The Athletic's Shams Charania recently reported that Darius Garland's representation would potentially look for him to be traded due to a perceived poor fit next to Mitchell in the Cavaliers backcourt. 

"Furthermore, rival executives believe the Cavs will have to seriously evaluate the fit of Mitchell and Garland and ultimately may have to choose one or the other," Charania reported. "Should Mitchell decide to stay long term, sources briefed on the matter say Garland’s representation, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, would have a conversation with Cavs officials on potentially finding a new home for the one-time All-Star."

While losing Garland would be a tough blow, Cleveland would undoubtedly opt to retain Mitchell. All-Star guards with elite scoring ability are difficult to obtain. Mitchell has proved that he can be the lead star on a potentially contending team. He's also shown an ability to step up in the big moments. 

Keeping Mitchell could prove to be difficult. He's a star player. Big-market teams will be waiting to see how the situation plays out. The New York Knicks could still be a potential landing spot for him. 

Regardless of how things play out, the Cavaliers project to have a busy summer. The only question is whether Mitchell is part of their trade talks or if trade talks are happening because he's sticking around.