Donovan Mitchell: ‘We are championship contenders when we are healthy’

You told everyone you were re-signing with the Cavaliers and you felt like people didn’t believe you. But this offseason you signed a three-year contract extension worth a maximum of $150.3 million, including a player option for the 2027-2028 season. What did signing this extension mean to you? Donovan Mitchell: Until the pen hits the paper, words obviously mean nothing. But for me, man, once I got traded here, I didn’t even know what was here until I got here. Obviously I knew who would be on the team here, but only the city of Cleveland really had a hold on me. I just really love the people. I love the passion, the fandom, the organization of course, and of course my teammates. And for me, we’ve continued to find success and keep building and building, and as I’ve always said, ‘You don’t just get ready and then just make the final or win a chip. It takes time. You have to keep building and keep growing.’ And that was the most important thing for me: how do we find ways to continue to do that. And having an organization that believes in that, that’s not just cool by just being status quo and just being okay and being good… And after losing to Boston last season (season), yeah, we got injured and we had all these different ways we could look at excuses. The energy wasn’t there in the locker room. It was more like we’re coming back to do it again. And to me it meant a lot just because that’s where I believe in myself. So now that I can be with my boys and be on this team again in the near future, I’m excited. We have a lot to prove and I still have a lot to do. -via Andscape / September 27, 2024