The Cleveland Cavaliers quest for an NBA championship came to an abrupt halt on Wednesday. The Boston Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals after defeating Cleveland in Game 5 of the second round playoff series.
Shortly after the Cavs playoff exit, a report from Cleveland.com suggested that four-time NBA All-Star Donovan Mitchell “grew frustrated with some teammates’ lack of maturity, focus, playoff-level readiness, and a willingness to listen.”
The report comes amid rumors that Mitchell could have played his final game in a Cavaliers uniform. The 27-year-old guard has a player option for the 2025-26 season. He is scheduled to earn an estimated $35.4 million during the 2024-25 season.
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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell shoots a foul shot during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks, Tuesday, March 28, 2023, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Hakim Wright Sr.)
But on Thursday, Mitchell attempted to debunk the idea that he was irritated with his teammates. “Yeah aight [cap] I’m sick of y’all sometimes!,” he wrote on X, the company formerly known as Twitter.
Mitchell has not pubically commented on his plans beyond this year. In March, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert recently expressed belief Mitchell would sign a contract extension with the team.
“We’ve been talking to him, sure, for the last couple of years about extending this contract,” Gilbert said in an interview with The Associated Press. “We think he will extend. I think if you listen to him talk, he loves the city.”
Mitchell took a more measured approach when he responded to Gilbert’s comments. “I got a lot of things to focus on outside of that right now to be honest,” he told reporters at the time.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) goes to the basket past New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) in the first half of Game 4 in an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Sunday, April 23, 2023, at Madison Square Garden in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
According to the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement, Mitchell is eligible to sign a four-year extension this summer. The contract could be worth up to an estimated $200 million.
“I’ll handle that when it comes,” Mitchell said in late March in reference to extension talks.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) shoots a 3-point basket against Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 6, 2023, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Cleveland acquired Mitchell in a blockbuster trade shortly before the 2022-23 season.
JB Bickerstaff has been the Cavaliers head coach for the past five seasons, but the team’s latest playoffs exit has sparked some speculation about his job security.
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Ohio native and former Cavaliers superstar LeBron James returned to Cleveland earlier this week and sat courtside during Game 4. Mitchelll did not play in that game due to injury. James led the Cavs to the first NBA championship in franchise history in 2016.
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