Donovan Mitchell Makes Cavaliers Goal Very Clear After James Harden Trade

Donovan Mitchell made a bold statement about where the Cavs need to be at the end of the year.

Feb 11, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) stands on the court in the third quarter against the Washington Wizards at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

NBA All-Star weekend is now over, and regular season action will start up again in a couple of days, specifically Thursday, Feb. 19, when 20 teams will resume the regular season. For the Cavs' lone All-Star, Donovan Mitchell, it was an eventful weekend as his team, the USA Stripes, made it to the All-Star championship.

In total, Mitchell totaled 12 points in the three games, all of the points coming on three-pointers; he also added a rebound and three assists. Mitchell also contributed in the three-point contest, where he was unfortunately knocked out in the first round by Damian Lillard, who stormed back to take the NBA world by surprise, winning the competition.

During the media portion, Mitchell was asked what his personal goals were and what the team's goals were coming out of the break.

“The goal is to get a championship, that’s the goal, nothing but. Use this break to get James [Harden], Dennis [Schröder], and Keon [Ellis] all together and get somewhere we haven’t been before.” Mitchell said.

It is not uncommon for Mitchell to be talking like this; we’ve heard this message now since he’s got to Cleveland. But now there is way more pressure than even at the start of the season for the Cavs to win it all. Trading away Darius Garland for James Harden sped up Cleveland’s timeline immensely. 

Harden is 36 years old, compared to Garland, who just turned 26 earlier this year. Harden is putting up great numbers this season, should’ve joined Mitchell in LA as an All-Star, but the push is on for Cleveland. Harden’s contract runs through next year, but he has a player option next season and will most likely opt to try to get an extension with Cleveland.

Mitchell is signed through the 2026-27 season, with a player option for the next year, which some insiders expect him to opt out of if Cleveland is not successful in the next two years. This was also the rumor in 2024, where many predicted he would leave Cleveland for another team before he signed a three-year extension.

This time it's real, though, with an Eastern Conference that is up for the taking, led by the Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, and New York Knicks; Cleveland is making a push to be the best team in the East. They were favored to win the East before the season, and currently have the best odds to win the conference. The team must perform in the playoffs if they don’t wanna lose their superstar.

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations