Donovan Mitchell appears committed to continuing his future with Cavs

“We can’t talk to Donovan now about the contract until July,” said Altman. “I’ll say that my exit interview with him was really good in that he was talking about the future and how excited he was about the team, the organization.

“This is a player who has had two of the best years of his career here, has had a lot of success here, understands the infrastructure, and I think he has a lot of trust in what we’re doing and understands that our goal is to win a championship. When we’re talking to him about the future here and getting his feedback, it’s all about how we can make this thing better. How do we achieve this together? How do we win in the future?

“I take those as very positive things. In his own words, he says he’s happy here. He likes it here. He’s always been very genuine. He’s always been very intentional. He’s been a great teammate. We have to take all that at face value and say, ‘OK, we feel good about where we are with Donovan.’ Obviously, things could change. In terms of his contract future, it’s nothing we can talk about until July.”

Although Altman was clear that Donovan Mitchell hasn’t verbally committed to the idea of staying in Cleveland, the Cavs feel good about their chances of keeping him heading into this offseason. The confidence in retaining Mitchell is so strong that Altman even shared that he’ll be a part of the decision-making in how Cleveland tackles this offseason by giving his input. Whether it’s the team’s next head coach, a trade or a free agency signing, Mitchell can share his feelings and help shape the Cavs to a team that’s best suited for him.

“Last summer, he had a lot of influence in terms of how much he helped us recruit free agents to be here,” said Altman. “Listen, you’ve talked to him. He’s a highly intellectual basketball junkie, and so I would love to have some of his input in terms of what we want to do in the future, and yeah, I absolutely would love his feedback on how we continue to build this thing. I think he’s been very influential in helping us land some free agents. That conversation will come for sure.”

If a player will actively input on an organization’s next steps while expressing his excitement for what Cleveland is building, it feels like Mitchell will stick around with the Cavs for a while longer. Regardless of what happens to everyone else on the team, having the assurance that Mitchell will likely stay has the Cavs and their fans breathing a bit easier.

Now, all Cleveland needs is for Mitchell to sign, and then things can really start getting underway.