Donovan Mitchell ‘at home’ and ‘at peace’ with Cavs, ready for championship quest

“From the minute I got here I told my mom, I think I was just like, ‘Yo, I really like it here,’” Mitchell said when asked Monday about his decision to sign a long-term extension this summer. “For me it was just a no brainer. I’ve known for a little bit that this was my decision. It’s finally good to have a media day where we’re not talking about where I’m going next. You can lay your roots somewhere that you actually want to be. I think that’s special.”

Mitchell thought about other possibilities. It would have been a disservice not to at least consider them. But he said his mind was made up early in 2024, either January or February, and when given an opportunity to reinforce those words, Mitchell inked a three-year, $150.3 million extension that includes a player option for the 2027-28 season — a decision announced on social media with #LetEmKnow and a clip from “Wolf of Wall Street” that showed movie character Jordan Belfort grabbing a microphone and repeatedly shouting, “I’m not leaving!” to his beloved coworkers.

“It was kind of funny watching everybody say that this is how I’m feeling, but I knew,” Mitchell said, terming the decision a weight off his shoulders. “I don’t want to call it a looming cloud. Every loss is like, ‘What’s going to happen next?’ It’s refreshing. I’m glad that we’re here and I’m excited to be here. You know where you’re going to be, where your feet are. It’s just a calming vibe. I can come in here now and breathe. It’s way more peaceful. I know where home is. I’m happy here.”

Mitchell, the native New Yorker who has connected with this Midwest, blue-collar fanbase, plans to attend the Guardians’ playoff games next week. He admires the city’s passion. He likes the food. Doesn’t mind the cold. Actually believes he has a better, more extensive cold-weather wardrobe anyway. It’s easy for him to travel back to Connecticut and New York, where he spends most of the offseason. Traffic isn’t bad — unless it’s around 5 p.m.

All those off-the-court factors weighed into his decision.

“I’m a very simple person,” Mitchell said. “I don’t need nothing too crazy in Cleveland. It’s just been amazing to me. I love it here.”

Then there’s the basketball side of things. The Cavs racked up 48 wins last year, made their second straight playoff appearance and advanced past the first round without LeBron James for the first time in more than three decades. Despite an Eastern Conference semifinal loss to the eventual champion Celtics — a series in which Cleveland was short-handed, playing the duration without starting center Jarrett Allen and the final two games sans Mitchell — there is plenty of belief that this young, talented roster belongs in the East’s contender tier.

Count Mitchell as one of those dreamers.

“I believe when we’re healthy, we’re a championship contending team,” Mitchell boasted. “But the unfortunate part is for the past two years we haven’t been a fully healthy team throughout the year in different spurts. Now the biggest thing is for us to put those pieces together on the health side, but then also put those pieces together on the floor. You don’t just throw a team together and make it to the championship. That’s pretty tough to do. It’s continue to take steps and building blocks and finding ways to compete at the highest level and win at the highest level.”

Mitchell’s new contract was a monumental moment in franchise history — one part of Cleveland’s summer, which focused primarily on internal improvements and retaining its most important players.

Core pieces Evan Mobley and Allen also received extensions. Restricted free agent swingman Isaac Okoro signed a three-year, $38 million deal following lengthy negotiations. In all, the Cavs are bringing back 13 of last year’s 14 full-time players. The only newbie is 2024 first-round pick Jaylon Tyson who likely won’t even be in the every-night rotation at the outset.

The biggest change is along the sidelines, with coach Kenny Atkinson taking over for fired J.B. Bickerstaff. When asked to characterize the kind of impact Atkinson can make for this ready-made group, Mitchell called it a “major one.”

“I’m very familiar with Kenny and what he brings to the table — player development and ways to make a group better,” Mitchell said. “I think for us, watching him lead and even through the month that I’ve been here so far, you just see the energy, the passion behind it, but also the experience, the strategy.”

Atkinson was hired in early July following an extensive coaching search. Since then, he has worked to build a relationship with Mitchell and others on the roster. When Atkinson was in Paris serving as an assistant for the French National Team during the 2024 Olympics, he would text Mitchell at 4 a.m. about how the bouncy score-first guard could slip out of screens, the kinds of actions the Cavs may run this coming season and other Xs and Os. Atkinson’s first stop after Paris: Greenwich, Conn. He wanted more face time with his star.

“For him to do that, I think it shows how much he cares and the passion behind it,” Mitchell said. “But now we’ve got to go out there and execute it on the floor. There’s a trust factor. But that starts with getting into the gym early and all those different things. I think we can’t ask him to trust us and vice versa if we don’t show it. We’ve seen it on both sides and I think that’s where it starts.”

On Tuesday afternoon, the Cavs will hold their first training camp practice at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. — the start of the Atkinson era. Not only will the team get a better feel for the stylistic changes Atkinson is planning to make but it’s an opportunity to keep enhancing the chemistry built during player-organized workouts that Mitchell helped coordinate in New York and then in Cleveland shortly after Labor Day.

For Mitchell specifically, he is healthy and rejuvenated, months removed from the achy knee and calf issues that kept him from playing the final two games against Boston. Because of those injuries, Mitchell got a later-than-usual start to the summer and slightly altered his approach. He focused on weights and stability, not wanting to do much pounding on his body in the early summer days. Then in August, it was time to ramp up.

“There’s nothing structurally wrong at all. Just a lot of wear and tear,” Mitchell said when asked about his health. “Past two years I’ve played probably the most minutes of my career. I wanted to give myself as much time as possible and I really didn’t start going full bore until August, which typically would start for me early July, just to make sure I’m all good and mentally confident. I feel great. I’m excited. I’m ready. I’m in shape. I’m not 22 anymore, but I’m not 33.”

Mitchell’s injuries are behind him. The contract situation is no longer a burden. He can exhale. He can breathe easier. He’s exactly where he wants to be.

Time for the championship quest to begin.

“Now that I’ve signed the contract and we’re here, now there’s an expectation,” Mitchell said. “It’s not like we just signed and that’s the end goal. There’s an expectation for us to do big things. That’s where my mind is at.”