NBA Rumors: Stars are aligned for Donovan Mitchell to sign an extension with Cavs

NBA Rumors: If Donovan Mitchell is going to sign an extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers, this summer is when it's going to happen.

When the Cleveland Cavaliers made the bold move to acquire Donovan Mitchell, when they weren't on his list of preferred landing spots, it was clear that the risk of him potentially leaving in free agency a few years later, or even demanding a trade before that, was going to be there. After this season, the Cavs will face squarely at those risks.

After this season, Mitchell has just one year remaining on his contract and if he doesn't sign an extension with the Cavs this summer, he will be set up to test free agency during the 2025 offseason. However, the Cavs are hoping it doesn't come to that. The good news for the Cavs is that with everything that has happened in the last few months, there's a strong argument to be made that the stars are aligning for Mitchell to sign a contract extension with the Cavs this summer.

Donovan Mitchell may not have any other realistic options other than the Cleveland Cavaliers

Heading into this season, the biggest threats to potentially lure Mitchell away from the Cavs were the New York Knicks, Miami Heat, and Brooklyn Nets. The Knicks are likely out of the Mitchell sweepstakes with Jalen Brunson and then making the big move for OG Anunoby. You can probably say the same about the Heat after acquiring Terry Rozier and the limited future draft picks they have to include in a blockbuster offer.

The Nets are the wild card but are not a better winning situation than the Cavs at the moment. It's hard to find strong reasoning as to why Mitchell would want to leave Cleveland for Brooklyn.

Adding to all those outside factors is the fact that Cleveland is in the second tier of the Eastern Conference hierarchy. After the Boston Celtics, the Cavs might be the second-best team in the conference. And they're only going to get better over the next few years.

It's hard to find a better realistic situation that Mitchell could force his way into at this point. And with his outside options extremely limited, all signs seem to point to Mitchell signing a long-term deal in Cleveland.

When you consider all of those things, it's no surprise that Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert would feel confident that Mitchell is going to sign an extension. The question is, will that happen this offseason? It's trending toward that way. But if he doesn't sign an extension this summer, all eyes will certainly be on Cleveland heading into next season.