Donovan Mitchell Rumors: Cavs 'Confident' Spida Signs 4-Year, $209M Max Contract Soon

The Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly "confident" All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell will sign a long-term extension with the franchise this offseason.

Shams Charania, Joe Vardon and Jason Lloyd of The Athletic reported the Cavs front office plans to present Mitchell with a four-year, $209 million extension offer as soon as their coaching search concludes.

James Borrego and Kenny Atkinson are reportedly the two finalists for the vacancy.

Mitchell's decision on the contract extension offer is by far the biggest swing factor in the Cavs' offseason.

If Mitchell refuses to sign the extension, the front office will be forced to explore trade options. Mitchell has a $37.1 million player option for the 2025-26 season he's almost certain to decline, and declining the extension would be a sign he wants to explore his options in free agency. Cleveland was not Mitchell's first choice when requesting a trade from the Utah Jazz, and it's possible he could have eyes for a starrier market.

If Mitchell signs the extension, the front office will breathe a collective sigh of relief but may have to explore trading their other All-Star guard. Darius Garland's representation could reportedly approach the Cavs about a trade, as Garland has spent the last two seasons playing in Mitchell's shadow.

An All-Star in 2022, Garland has seen his usage shrink as Mitchell takes up the lion's share of the offensive load. It's fair to wonder how well Garland and Mitchell work together as a tandem over the long term, but general manager Koby Altman has been a firm believer in the roster he built.

"I don't see big major sweeping changes. I just don't," Altman told reporters after the Cavs were eliminated from the playoffs. "Like I said, more data speaks to [how] this works than it doesn't. You can't win 99 games over the regular season, make it to a conference semis and be like, this doesn't work. Again, this just year two of this iteration of this core being together and I have a lot of excitement for the future for this group and belief in this group."

Garland is under contract for four more seasons, so he does not have a lot of leverage in this situation. However, if he's truly unhappy in his role, Altman might have to explore a move that better fits with Mitchell.

Mitchell remaining with the Cavs would also likely mean the team keeps Jarrett Allen on the roster. NBA insider Marc Stein reported Mitchell is a "fan" of Allen, who has also has a little awkward positional redundancy on the Cavs with Evan Mobley.