Under contract until 2026, Donovan Mitchell did not extend with the Cavaliers. For the moment, management is not panicking, and the player has the opportunity to test the market in 2025 by activating his “player option”. Clearly, contractually, he is still in Cleveland at least until July 2025. But the rumors are persistent, and he has been announced for several years on the New York side. It's his town, and his father is still an MLB manager there.
For Joe Ingles, who knows him well since he played five years alongside him, it is obvious: Donovan Mitchell will one day play for the Knicks.
“When there was talk of him coming to New York, the team wasn’t doing very well” remembers the Magic winger. “I think he's pretty happy with the way things are going in Cleveland. But that wouldn't surprise me. He's a New York kid. If I could play in Melbourne and win the same amount of money, why not consider it? “.
This summer, Joe Ingles was more categorical. “Sooner or later I think he will play in New York” he said on a Utah radio station. “That would be cool for him. For anyone, playing in your hometown is something very special. If he succeeds, it will be great. If it doesn’t happen, it won’t change my life.”
18 months ago, the Knicks did not want to let go of RJ Barrett, Quentin Grimes, two unprotected first rounds of the Draft, two second rounds of the Draft and two “swaps” (exchanges of choices) to recover Donovan Mitchell. Today, the first two are no longer there, and the Knicks have relied on OG Anunoby and Bojan Bogdanovic to try to win the title.
As for Donovan Mitchell, currently injured, he allowed Cleveland to climb to 2nd place in the East!
