Will the Cavs be forced to ‘overpay’ Donovan Mitchell because no one else is ready to lead?
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs made a franchise-altering bet when they traded for Donovan Mitchell that their young core of Darius Garland and Evan Mobley would develop quickly enough to create a championship window during Mitchell’s prime.
But 25 games into this season, a sobering question has emerged on the Wine and Gold Talk podcast: What if that developmental timeline isn’t aligning the way the organization hoped?
“Is Darius Garland ready to win a championship? Is Evan Mobley ready to win a championship?” Chris Fedor, cleveland.com’s Cavs beat reporter said. “Are they on that same timeline as Donovan Mitchell in terms of their basketball maturity, in terms of how much their game has progressed?”
It’s a loaded question that cuts to the heart of Cleveland’s future.
Mitchell is unquestionably ready to compete for a title now. His performance last season and through the early portion of this campaign has cemented his status as a legitimate superstar. But the growth curves of his co-stars remain less predictable.
This developmental disparity creates a complex scenario around Mitchell’s next contract.
As Jimmy Watkins notes on the podcast, the real success of the Mitchell trade wasn’t just about the on-court talent upgrade.
“The big win of the trade was getting him to resign. Not necessarily the trade itself,” Watkins explains.
The traditional blueprint for NBA small markets has been to use established stars to develop younger talent, creating a natural succession plan.
Think of LeBron James theoretically passing the torch to Kyrie Irving in his first Cleveland stint, or the Lakers’ vision of Anthony Davis eventually taking the mantle from LeBron.
But what happens when the timeline for that torch-passing becomes murky?
“I think a lot of people looked at the Cavs situation and said, okay, when Donovan gets close to 30, when he’s on the wrong side of 30, when his body starts breaking down a little bit and his game has to evolve a little bit, that’s going to be fine. Because the natural progression is, here’s the torch, Evan, this is your team now. You’re the man. Or here’s the torch, Darius, this is your team now, you’re the man,” Fedor explains. “And I think that becomes a little bit more complicated than a lot of people assumed that it was going to be.”
This complication could force the Cavs into a scenario where they have no choice but to offer Mitchell a massive extension, even if it stretches beyond his likely prime years.
“We understand that if the Cavs don’t get to where they want to go this season because of the roster that they constructed, that changes will likely happen, and that’s in part because of how Donovan Mitchell’s contract is being looked at,” host Ethan Sands explained. “Having the 10th year of accrued service coming up for him, and then that contract after that could be a super max deal — especially if he’s in these MVP conversations this season. I think you look at that contract and you try to build around it or plan for the future, and that’s something this front office has been doing well. The most stressful portion of this is coming down the pipeline, and it’s going to be interesting to see how the Cavaliers decide to maintain or move on from some of these players they’ve built around over the past few years.”
This creates a fascinating high-wire act for Cleveland’s front office. With Mitchell eligible for a substantial extension that could exceed $250 million — and a potential five-year, $380 million deal on the horizon once he reaches 10 years of accrued service — they must evaluate not just his long-term value, but whether anyone else on the roster is prepared to shoulder the burden of franchise leadership.
“And even if that means that at the time, the Cavs have to ‘overpay’ for Donovan Mitchell, that that might be something that they have to do because the other guys just aren’t ready for that level of responsibility,” Fedor concludes.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. If the Cavs commit maximum resources to Mitchell but Garland and Mobley never reach championship-caliber consistency, the team could find itself trapped in expensive mediocrity. Conversely, if they hesitate with Mitchell and he leaves, they might watch their championship window slam shut.
Want to hear the full, unfiltered debate about the Cavs’ developmental timelines and what it means for the team’s future? Listen to the latest episode of the Wine and Gold Talk podcast with Chris Fedor, Jimmy Watkins, and Ethan Sands for their candid insights on Cleveland’s complicated championship path.
Here’s the podcast for this week:
