It’s a new era for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and all eyes are on the horizon as LeBron James‘ free agency looms. With reports running rampant of a potential homecoming for LeBron, Donovan Mitchell was asked directly to respond to potentially being his teammate.
“As a LeBron fan, man, to be able to be his teammate would be special. But that’s not something that’s in my control,” Mitchell said on Sirius XM Radio. “There’s always gonna be reports, it’s natural, and it’s gonna be a thing. But my main focus right now is trying to get this championship. Whatever happens, it happens; that’s not up to me or anybody in this locker room. I’m big on believing what I can control.”
The Cavaliers have heavy ties to the King, as the place where he spent the first seven years of his career. He also won a championship there in 2016 after beating the Warriors in the Finals. He’s been a Laker for the past eight years, but recent reports indicate he could be headed for a breakup this summer. Mitchell (6x All-Star) has reportedly already been recruiting James, but his focus is on other things right now.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s LeBron James, but at the end of the day, that’s not my focus. I’m not here to worry about that,” James added. “My focus is just on that we just traded for James Harden, Dennis Schroder, Keon Ellis, let’s try to find a way to get a ring and go from there.”
Fresh off the James Harden trade, the Cavaliers have a major opportunity in the second half of the season. Rather than think about the possible arrival of LeBron, Mitchell would rather work to maximize his chemistry with Harden. He’s already learned a lot fromhis past encounters with the former MVP.
“The first thing he taught me was how to travel on the step-back. Being able to be around him early on in my career, in our Adidas trips and losing to him in the playoffs for two consecutive years, you learn a lot about the manipulation of the game, how to attack coverages, how to find different ways to score, and different ways to create for people. He and Chris Paul were able to give me that guidance, so it’s wild that here we are to be teammates and to be in this situation to hopefully go out there and win a championship.”
The Cavaliers were having a rough season before a series of moves turned things around. First came the trade for Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis, who add depth and flexibility to Cleveland’s stacked roster. Then came the arrival of James Harden, who brings playoff experience, consistent shooting, and elite playmaking to the team.
After winning five straight going into the All-Star break, the Cavs are now fourth in the East and just 1.5 games back from the second seed. Still, while it may look like a new team, their success depends on the core three players: Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. If those three are locked-in, the Cavaliers are going to be a tough team to beat this spring.
