Donovan Mitchell’s decision to sign an extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers this summer seemingly proved most of the NBA media wrong about the five-time All-Star’s desire to remain with the franchise.
That included Bill Simmons, who had been adamant on multiple occasions over the course of the past year that Mitchell wouldn’t sign an extension in Cleveland, which would in turn force the Cavs to trade their star player.
On the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, The Ringer founder addressed Mitchell’s decision to remain in Cleveland for the foreseeable future. And while Simmons was willing to admit he got this one wrong, he also explained the disconnect between the widespread belief that Mitchell would leave the Cavs and how the situation ultimately played out.
“Cleveland was able to re-sign Donovan Mitchell, which I did not think was going to happen. I’ll take the loss,” Simmons said. “I do think one thing that changed was he felt like, you know, New York was looming, right? That was where his head was at. He grew up in Connecticut. I think he was thinking Knicks or Nets down the road and everyone in the league felt that way. My job on this podcast is to pass along the things that I hear and make some educated guesses on stuff.
“But what changed? The Knicks went in on [OG] Anunoby, they went in on Mikal Bridges. They did not need Donovan Mitchell anymore. Jalen Brunson — I have him ranked as the sixth-best player in the league. Mitchell didn’t make sense for the Knicks anymore. And guess what? He didn’t make sense for the Nets either because the Nets got their picks back and they’re blowing it up. He didn’t really have anywhere to go. So if you’re Mitchell, do you take the max at Cleveland? Ride it out with a team that was good enough to be a round 2 team that has a lot of talent… we’ll see what happens this year. See if [Evan] Mobley gets better, see if Kenny Atkinson can improve stuff and then evaluate in a year. But as you know with this stuff, just ’cause you sign an extension doesn’t mean you’re there for life. Still a big win for Cleveland. Because that felt like this summer, he was going to push to one of the New York teams — didn’t happen.”
Bill Simmons on his podcast this morning on what changed for Donovan Mitchell that led him to sign an extension in Cleveland: pic.twitter.com/P6Qixr6XFm
— Mikey McNuggets (@MikeLucasTV) July 3, 2024
There’s no way that Jalen Brunson is the sixth-best player in the NBA. But that’s a story for another day.
As easy as it is to dunk on freezing cold takes — especially when they come from someone who was as adamant as Simmons was about Mitchell wanting to leave Cleveland — his explanation makes sense. The reality is that when it comes to player movement, situations are often fluid. And while the Louisville product may have very well been eyeing a move back to the Northeast, as Simmons pointed out, neither the Knicks nor Nets currently make sense as potential landing spots.
It’s also worth noting that the Sports Guy was hardly the only person who was pushing the narrative that Mitchell might be on the move, which seemed to be the sentiment in league circles too. It’s a credit to Simmons that he wasn’t only willing to acknowledge he was wrong, but that he also provided a thorough explanation why.
Not that any of that will stop the victory laps currently being enjoyed in Cleveland.
