Cavs' Donovan Mitchell Has 'Sense of Peace' After Years of Knicks, Heat Trade Rumors

There has been plenty of outside noise surrounding Donovan Mitchell for much of his career, but he said he has found a "sense of peace" with the Cleveland Cavaliers this season.

"For years, everyone has talked about if I like Rudy, or talked about me going to the New York Knicks or the Miami Heat," he said in a Tuesday piece by Tony Jones of The Athletic. "So, it's great to finally have that sense of peace."

Mitchell and Rudy Gobert each started their NBA careers on the Utah Jazz and were teammates for five seasons. While the team made the playoffs all five seasons, it never advanced past the second round and the relationship between the two franchise cornerstones was seemingly always under constant scrutiny.

Utah eventually traded Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Mitchell to the Cavaliers ahead of the 2022-23 seasons.

But trade speculation followed Mitchell in Cleveland, and he was frequently connected to the New York Knicks and Miami Heat. Yet that has largely stopped after he signed a three-year extension with the Cavaliers this past summer, and he is now eyeing the sport's ultimate prize in Cleveland.

"Ideally, if I can paint a picture, I would win a championship at some point over the next five years," he said. "It's hard to win championships. It's hard to win in this league. Despite public opinion, I love being in Cleveland and I want to win a title with this group."

The Cavaliers are in position to compete for that championship this year, as they are sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings with a 26-4 record. They have a win over the reigning-champion Boston Celtics, three wins over the Milwaukee Bucks, two wins over the Philadelphia 76ers and a win over the Knicks as they establish themselves as a team to beat in the East.

Mitchell is a major reason for that success, as he is averaging 23.3 points, 4.6 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 40.8 percent from deep this season.

He could be well on his way to a sixth consecutive All-Star Game selection but has his sights set on bigger goals as he plays with that "sense of peace" in Cleveland.