4 years, $277 million! Mitchell may sign an extension this summer: This is my best championship window with Harden.

On April 17th Beijing time, Donovan Mitchell, the core player of the Cavaliers, will become eligible for free agency next year: his salary for the 2026–27 season is $50.1 million, and he holds a player option worth $53.8 million for the 2027–28 season.This summer, Mitchell is eligible to sign an early extension contract expected to be worth $277 million over four years.Recently, he gave an exclusive interview to The Athletic.

Asked whether he would sign a long-term contract with the Cavaliers, the 29-year-old guard praised the team highly.

“I love Cleveland. I’ve said it before: I want to play here as long as possible,” Mitchell said in the interview. “My goal is to win, as long as the team remains competitive at the highest level. I really like this city; it already feels like home to me. I’m very comfortable here, and my fiancée—Coco Jones, a singer-songwriter and actress—also enjoys living here. I’ve fully adapted to life in Cleveland, everything is great. Now, we just need to keep the team’s competitive momentum going. This management has repeatedly proven they are willing to do whatever it takes to compete for a championship, which is exactly the environment every player wants.”

The exclusive interview also covered many topics: the long-established personal friendship between Mitchell and Harden (both are Adidas endorsers), when he learned about trade rumors involving the team and the Clippers, and his views on the team’s situation before the Harden trade was finalized. Reports claimed that Mitchell used his contract situation to pressure the Cavaliers’ management to strengthen the roster. The seven-time All-Star denied this.

“I’ve said this countless times, I don’t know why no one believes it. I genuinely like this team. Many people don’t understand the business logic behind professional basketball. When I talked about the local food in an interview a few days ago, those words were sincerely true. I want to say, my affection for Cleveland is real. I also understand why outsiders doubt it, but it’s hard for people to grasp that I truly enjoy playing here. When I praise Cleveland, I mean the entire team and management.”

“The Harden trade was indeed a business decision by the management, everyone agreed on the direction of strengthening the team, but I never actively pressured the management to complete the trade. Because of this, I particularly appreciate the team’s operations; it was entirely the management’s proactive effort to compete for a championship.”

The interviewer raised a key point: both Harden and Mitchell are current star players with strong abilities, having reached the playoffs every year in their careers, yet they have never won a championship.Mitchell admitted that this season, both he and Harden will give everything to strive for their first career championship.

“I wouldn’t say this is his, or my, last chance to compete for a championship, butthis is definitely our best championship window at present,” Mitchell said regarding Harden. “He chose to join the Cavaliers for a reason; he saw the potential of this team, and we know what we need to do. As for how to integrate? There’s no issue between me and Harden; we’ll stagger our playing time and manage rotations properly. When it comes to crucial moments in games, everyone knows how to play.”

“The real key is: how to perfectly blend and build chemistry among all players like Merrill, Jarrett Allen, Mobley, Strus, Keon Ellis, Dennis Schröder, and the whole team. Andthe most remarkable thing about Harden is that upon arriving, he clearly stated: ‘Donovan (Mitchell), this team belongs to you.’With that attitude, I can confidently lead the team and play freely; our relationship is very harmonious.”