When the Cleveland Cavaliers traded for Donovan Mitchell in 2022, the primary motivation behind that move was to, of course, win a title.
In the first season with Mitchell, they finished fourth in the East (after finishing ninth the season before) but didn’t advance past the first round. The following season (2023-24), they finished fourth again and made it to the semifinals but came up short. In 2024-25, Cleveland secured the top seed in the East after a historic season, but yet again, lost in the semifinals.
With the East wide open this season after the Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton injuries, it felt like this year would be when the Cavaliers made their championship run. The first few months of the season haven’t reflected that, as Cleveland is No. 7 in the conference for a 16-14 record.
The Cavaliers’ underwhelming season isn’t a reflection on Mitchell, who is averaging a career-high 30.7 points on 49.5/38.9/85 shooting splits. He has done everything (and more) expected of him this season, but it hasn’t been enough. Injuries have been an issue for Cleveland, but even then, you’d think the team wouldn’t be sitting only two games over .500.
Chris Fedor reported that Dan Gilbert is “very unhappy” with how the first few months of the season have gone. He’s the one paying the luxury tax bill for the only second apron team in the league, so his frustrations could be enough for the Cavaliers to start to disassemble their core midseason.
Cavaliers haven’t come close to winning a title with Donovan Mitchell
What could make Cleveland’s situation go from bad to worse is if Mitchell requests a trade over the summer. He has a $53.8 million player option for 2027-28 that he could decline in about 18 months, allowing him to enter free agency if he doesn’t sign a new contract by then. Mitchell will turn 30 before the start of next season. How long is he willing to hang around in Ohio?
This isn’t the situation the Cavaliers wanted to be in after they traded Lauri Markkanen (who has turned into a star in Utah), Ochai Agbaji, Collin Sexton, three unprotected first-round picks, and two pick swaps for Mitchell. That’s a high price, but one that Cleveland happily stepped in to pay, surprising the rest of the league, thinking it’d result in more hardware.
Anything less than a championship would be a disappointment when it comes to Mitchell’s time with the Cavaliers. Right now, sadly, it feels like that disappointment will become reality, but there is still well over half the season left. Let’s hope that Cleveland can turn things around, and quickly, or this chapter could come to a close, and not with the ending fans wanted.