Cavaliers make Donovan Mitchell franchise's future with or without LeBron James

Far from finished with their offseason plans, the Cleveland Cavaliers ensured they have a cornerstone player to build around no matter what happens. On Tuesday morning, the Cavaliers and Donovan Mitchell agreed to a new four-year, $273 million supermax contract extension, as first reported by ESPN's Shams Charania. 

Mitchell was even awarded an option for the 2030-31 season and a full trade kicker as part of the deal, handing the power to the player. He was in the middle of a three-year, $150.3 million contract. 

Donovan Mitchell is the future of the Cavaliers franchise 

Even though the Cavaliers are still in pursuit of bringing LeBron James home for a third and final stint in Cleveland, Mitchell has now been established as the face of the franchise moving forward. 

And at 29, investing in Mitchell, already a seven-time All-Star, makes sense. He's coming off one of the best seasons of his career, and one that saw the Cavaliers reach the franchise's first Eastern Conference Finals since James' exit following the 2018 NBA Finals. 

Donovan Mitchell is coming off one of the best seasons of his career 

Mitchell averaged 27.9 points per game in 2025-26, his highest full-season mark since 2022-23. He did it shooting 48.3 percent from the field and also put up 5.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds per night while playing in 70 games. Stepping up in big games, Mitchell scored 26.0 points per game during the Cavaliers' postseason run. 

ECF loss wasn't reason enough for the Cavaliers to pivot away from Donovan Mitchell 

Cleveland's luck eventually ran out as it was swept by the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks, but its failure to reach the NBA Finals doesn't tarnish the overall success of the season and didn't trigger any reason to pivot off Mitchell as the top star of the future, with or without another James homecoming. 

Most importantly, Mitchell's game should complement James on the court, and the Cavaliers still can sign the NBA's all-time leading scorer based on his desire to prioritize happiness over money. Every team in the race is only able to offer a similar type of financial offer.