Donovan Mitchell responds to Cavs owner Dan Gilbert’s extension comments

Jan 2, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) talks to a television reporter after the game between the Cavaliers and the Chicago Bulls at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mitchell set the franchise record for points with 71. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Donovan Mitchell sounds a little less certain about a possible extension than Dan Gilbert does.

The Cleveland Cavaliers owner Gilbert made some interesting comments this week about the Cavs star Mitchell, who can become a free agent in 2025. Gilbert expressed very strong confidence that Mitchell would ultimately sign an extension with Cleveland and gushed about Mitchell’s connection with the team and the city. You can read Gilbert’s full remarks here.

Addressing reporters Saturday, Mitchell was asked about those comments from Gilbert and seemed much more noncommittal with his response.

“I got a lot of things to focus on outside of that right now to be honest,” said Mitchell, per Erik Slater of ClutchPoints. “I gotta focus on myself, getting back [from his current knee injury] for this group, focusing on us getting over this stretch, continuing to be ready when it comes time.

“I’ll handle that when it comes,” Mitchell added about the extension talks. “I’m gonna give you the same answer.”

For Mitchell, the non-response is to be expected, especially since he needs to keep his options open until something actually happens. Gilbert’s comments are the ones that were much more surprising, especially since an extension for Mitchell, who was traded to Cleveland and did not voluntarily choose to go there, has always seemed like far from a sure thing.

Just last month, we had heard that a Western Conference team was very confident that they would be able to trade for the five-time All-Star Mitchell this summer (at which point he will have one year left on his current deal). While Cleveland’s excellent 45-29 record this season should be a strong selling point to Mitchell, it still feels like a wide-open race right now.