Cavs’ Koby Altman doubles down on NBA title hopes with Donovan Mitchell front and center

Eligible for a contract extension on July 7, Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell is highly coveted by the organization. With one year and a player option left on his current deal, Cavs president Koby Altman was asked about his status and a potential agreement, whether this summer or next offseason.

“Donovan has been steadfast in how much he loves it here, and so there hasn’t been any question of will he be here and does he want to be here,” Altman said. “So I think that’s the biggest thing, right? That’s the best thing, when we have a superstar of his caliber that wants to be in Cleveland, that’s our best ambassador, that’s our best recruiter.

“There’s guys that are here that wouldn’t be here without him, quite frankly. So I think the bigger question is the one that’s been answered is does he want to be here, and does he want to be here long term? And I think he’s answered that.”

If he were to extend with Cleveland in early July, Mitchell would only be able to make 30% of the team’s salary cap. If Mitchell signs with the Cavs after the 2026-27 season, he’d be eligible for 35% on a new supermax deal due to crossing the 10-year threshold. It depends on how the roster is shaped and if he’d be willing to sign now to give the Cavs more flexibility to build out.

“I love it here. I don’t know how else to say it,” Mitchell said after falling to the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. “I’ve said it before I signed the other extension. I love it here, and I have no doubt this group can get there, but reports are going to be reports, people are going to be people, but I said the same thing. We have unfinished business.

“It’s great energy to see the city, when we got to the conference finals, just to feel that, that’s amazing. And that’s why getting swept like this sucks, because you feel what… even driving in, people are going crazy. I love that. I love that about this place, man. The city deserves a ring, and we’ve just got to keep going.”

Altman endorses everything that Mitchell has done for the organization, even with the ups and downs the team has experienced.

In another All-NBA campaign, where he played his personal franchise-high 70 games, Mitchell averaged 27.9 points on .483/.364/.865 shooting splits. He also dished out 5.7 assists, corralled 4.5 rebounds, and recorded 1.5 steals per contest, spearheading the team that suffered injuries and setbacks.

“Donovan is uniquely ours, and he’s our guy,” Altman said. “When you are constantly an All-NBA talent that is a great leader, that has incredible work ethic, that adds to the culture, that adds to the mystique of our program, you embrace that.

“And it’s easy to point to other players and say, ‘Oh, I wish I had …’ No, Donovan is uniquely ours, and we’re very, very fortunate to have an All-Star, superstar-caliber player that’s here in Cleveland, that loves it here. So let’s lean into him, with his faults. They all have faults. They all have warts.”

At exit interviews, no one was more disappointed than Mitchell. According to Altman, the 29-year-old star is playing the best basketball of his career. Without his contributions, the Cavs wouldn’t be where they are in their timeline. Mitchell doesn’t shy away from self-criticism, either, mentioning the seven-game matchups with the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons.

“The first thing my mind jumped to was just those two series,” Mitchell said. “It’s like, that’s my learning lesson. That’s our learning lesson. As much as I’m grateful for overcoming something that’s been an obstacle for me personally for nine years, there was an opportunity for us before that. And whether it’s a missed blockout, bad shooting night, bad decision, it happened two consecutive series, and that put us behind the eight-ball. And that’s my biggest thing is just like… you’ve got to give yourself a chance.

Donovan Mitchell’s future with Cavs after Knicks loss

“And then you go to this [Knicks] series and we’re up 22 [in Game 1], and you lose. That’s where my head is at. Yeah, I made the conference finals, woo-hoo, you know what I mean? But we had an opportunity, and you give credit [where] credit’s due. They are playing really well, and they were hitting some shots. They’re playing well, they’re hungry. But when you have an opportunity to put your foot on somebody’s neck, you have to do it in this league. You have to. Otherwise, this is the result.”

From the moment Mitchell arrived, there have been consistent playoff appearances each year, and he’s led the charge. They made the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2018, and without LeBron James, 1992, largely in part to his brilliance.

“This team that we just faced had to go through this,” Mitchell said. “Maybe not this way, but they’ve been together, they’ve been a core group and had to go through this tough experience. So this is our turn, and I’m sorry for the city of Cleveland, for it to be like this in a sweep. Like, that’s a**. But I told y’all last year, and I will say again, we’ll be back, and we’ll be ready, and we’ll be hungry, and we’ll be locked in.”

“If I went and got another player and brought him here, we’d be pointing and poking and prodding because we’ve seen so much, we’re in the weeds so much,” Altman added. “But he has tremendous respect of his peers and tremendous respect internally. So he’s broken through to a conference finals, his first in nine years, and he wants more. Do we think we can win with him as the best player on a championship team? Yes, and we’re going to keep pouring into that.”

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