Fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers were given cause to sweat this summer when it began to circulate that All-NBA guard Donovan Mitchell was not expected to sign a contract extension with the team when he became eligible later in the offseason. Was Mitchell on his way out?
Not at all, or at least not anytime soon. It never made sense for Mitchell to sign an extension, even if he wanted to spend the rest of his career in Cleveland. Why is that? It comes down to veteran extensions and the very particular rules that govern them.