Cavs GM: Donovan Mitchell Said He's Happy and 'Likes It Here' amid NBA Trade Rumors

Donovan Mitchell is eligible to sign a contract extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers, though there have been persistent rumors that Mitchell could be traded if an extension doesn't' materialize.

Cavaliers president of basketball operations, Koby Altman, certainly gave the impression that Mitchell would be back with the team next season while speaking with reporters on Friday, however:

"This is a player who has had two of the best seasons of his career here," Altman noted. "He's had a lot of success here. Understands the infrastructure. Has a lot of trust in what we're doing. Understands that our goal is to win a championship. When we're talking to him about the future here, getting his feedback, it's all about, 'How do we make this thing better? How do we achieve this together? How do we win in the future?' I take those as very positive things."

Mitchell, 27, has averaged 27.5 points per game in his two seasons in Cleveland, posting the two highest-scoring seasons of his NBA career. For context, he averaged 23.9 points per game during his first five years with the Utah Jazz.

He has never missed the playoffs in his seven NBA seasons, but he's also never advanced past the second round. Any chance the Cavaliers may have had to upset the top-seeded Boston Celtics in this year's second round went out the window after a left calf strain forced Mitchell to miss Games 4 and 5.

Cleveland's entire summer now revolves around the future of Mitchell. That includes the surprising decision to fire head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, with ESPN's Brian Windhorst saying Wednesday (0:56 mark) that the Cavs "obviously believe that changing coaches here will benefit them in their quest to re-sign Mitchell.

"There's no doubt that the Bickerstaff-Mitchell relationship was a factor in this decision," Windhorst added. "And the new head coach, whoever that may be, will have to have a plan for how to maximize Mitchell. Not only to sell to the Cavs, but to sell to Mitchell himself."

Shams Charania, Joe Vardon and Jason Lloyd of The Athletic also reported on May 15 that "multiple league sources have said, for months, that Mitchell did not have great confidence in Bickerstaff, and he was not alone. Several players questioned Bickerstaff's strategies, game management, practice habits and accountability measures, privately and publicly, throughout the season."

Other changes may follow. Mitchell and Darius Garland have never proven to be a seamless backcourt fit, with The Athletic reporting that Garland's representation, Klutch Sports, may seek to find him a new home if Mitchell signs an extension, though Rich Paul told TNT Sports' Chris Haynes on Friday that there was "nothing to discuss" regarding those rumors.

There are also questions about the long-term fit of big men Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. It's hard to imagine the Cavaliers moving on from the 22-year-old Mobley, so Allen is another player to monitor this summer.

Big changes could be coming in Cleveland. But keeping Mitchell is seemingly priority No. 1.