NBA Rumors: Donovan Mitchell 'Grew Frustrated' by Some Cavs' Lack of Maturity, Focus

Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell enjoyed another spectacular individual season in 2023-24, but as he gets set to enter the final year of his contract, details have emerged regarding some irritation he reportedly expressed behind the scenes.

According to Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor, Mitchell "grew frustrated with some teammates' lack of maturity, focus, playoff-level readiness and a willingness to listen" at times during the 2023-24 campaign.

Mitchell and the Cavs secured the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference this season with a 48-34 record, and while they beat the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs, they fell 4-1 to the top-seeded Boston Celtics in the second round.

On Wednesday, the Cavs were without Mitchell for a crucial Game 5 matchup with the Celtics due to a calf strain. With Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert also out injured, Cleveland was no match for the mighty Celtics, falling 113-98 and seeing its season end.

Mitchell has spent the past two seasons with the Cavaliers since getting traded from the Utah Jazz, and he has been named an All-Star in each of his two campaigns in Cleveland.

This season, the 27-year-old averaged 26.6 points, 6.1 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 3.3 three-pointers made and 1.8 steals per game, but injuries were an issue, as he was limited to 55 regular-season contests.

Spida went on to average 29.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 10 playoff games, and he is a big reason the Cavs were able to win their first playoff series since LeBron James' last season with the franchise in 2018.

Mitchell reached the playoffs five straight times during his tenure in Utah, but the Jazz were eliminated three times in the first round and never made it past the second round, and the lack of a deep playoff run contributed heavily toward his getting dealt to Cleveland.

In two seasons with the Cavaliers, Mitchell has dealt with similar issues, so it is fair to wonder if his preference is to opt out of his contract and become a free agent after the 2024-25 campaign rather than signing an extension.

Fedor noted that Mitchell has "repeatedly mentioned how happy he is in Cleveland and how much he likes this situation," but if he is not open to signing an extension, it's possible the Cavs could trade him this coming offseason.

Outside of Mitchell, the Cavaliers have a relatively young team without a ton of playoff experience. Allen, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley are Cleveland's three best players besides Mitchell, and all of them were 25 or younger when the season started.

It is entirely possible that as they grow together and gain more experience, they will be a force to be reckoned with in postseason situations, but given that they were at far less than 100 percent, they were no match for a Celtics team that won an NBA-high 64 games during the regular season.