Don’t erase those photoshops of NBA star Donovan Mitchell wearing a Knicks or Nets jersey just yet.
One day after Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert expressed optimism that Mitchell eventually will sign an extension and remain in Cleveland for years to come, Mitchell deflected a question when given a chance to double down on his future.
“I think the biggest thing for me, as I said before to you earlier … my focus is I’ve got a lot of things to focus on outside of that [contract negotiation] right now,” Mitchell said Friday night after returning from a six-game absence to lead a win over the 76ers. “I’ve got to focus on myself, getting back for this group, focus on us getting over this stretch, continuing to be ready when it comes time.
“So, I’ll handle that when it comes. And I understand you have to ask that question. And I’ll give you the same answer.”
Mitchell is signed through the 2025-26 season but is eligible for a four-year extension worth about $200 million after this season.
The New York native is in the middle of his second season with the Cavaliers, who acquired him in a trade with the Jazz after months of speculation that he might wind up coming home.
“We’ve been talking to him, sure, for the last couple of years about extending this contract,” Gilbert told The Associated Press on Thursday. “We think he will extend. I think if you listen to him talk, he loves the city.
“He loves the situation in Cleveland because our players are very young and we’re just kind of putting the core together that he’s clearly the biggest part of.”
The Cavaliers and Gilbert have been burned by local star LeBron James leaving twice as a free agent and Kyrie Irving forcing a trade, though James and Irving did team up in 2016 to end Cleveland’s 52-year championship drought in the four major sports.
Mitchell’s teammate Georges Niang also previously said that he expected Mitchell would remain with the Cavaliers.
“I thought Georges said I was going to the Mets,” Mitchell reportedly quipped.
Mitchell’s father, Donovan Sr., is a front-office executive for the Mets.
The Knicks bounced Mitchell’s Cavaliers in the first round of last year’s playoffs and the two teams are fighting for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference down the stretch of this season.