Donovan Mitchell’s Future With Cleveland Cavaliers Confirmed As Injury Plague Ruins $500,000 Investment

“We didn’t get it done, especially at home. That’s what hurts, you know?” Donovan Mitchell was left heartbroken after the Cavs’ historic season came to a tragic end with a second-round exit. Still in shock by the outcome, he returned to the court following the Game 5 loss and sat on the bench alone, pondering what went wrong. Many even began doubting Mitchell’s ability to carry a team to the championship and wondered if the Cavs should part ways with him and go a different route.

Well, there are multiple superstars expected to enter the market this summer. The two most notable names – Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant. Per veteran insider Shams Charania, Giannis is seriously reevaluating his future with the Bucks for the first time in his career following their third straight first round exit. And the Suns are also expected to trade KD considering the failure of their Big Three experiment. So, this could be the perfect time for the Cavs to swoop in and acquire one of the two superstars. However, that doesn’t seem to be their plan.

Per reports, the Cavs are unlikely to trade for superstars like Giannis and Durant. Although they were unable to go all the way, the franchise believes they are championship contenders. Of course, when fully healthy. During these playoffs, they could not play at complete strength due to major injury woes. Darius Garland missed four straight games with a left big toe sprain. Even when he returned, he was clearly not at 100%. Evan Mobley also missed a game during the Pacers series with a sprained ankle. Even Donovan Mitchell played majority of the series with a left ankle sprain.

REPORT: The Cleveland Cavaliers are unlikely to trade for a superstar such as Giannis Antetokounmpo or Kevin Durant, sources tell me & @RobMurrows

After battling injuries, especially Darius Garland, the franchise believes they’re championship contenders when fully healthy.

— Anthony A (@AnthonyA_NBA) May 16, 2025

So, the Cavs might not mind giving this core another go next season, because the 64 regular season wins and the dominant first round performance against Heat proved how lethal they can be when healthy. Looks like Mitchell is not going anywhere, at least for now. Well, he inked a three-year $150.3 million extension last summer, which kicks in next season. He is in Cleveland to stay. However, the Cavs’ early exit did put one major investment to waste.

Cavaliers’ East Semis exit ruins owner Dan Gilbert’s expensive celebration plan

Before the Pacers series, the Cavs looked unstoppable. They cumulated more regular season wins than the reigning champs, Celtics. Then, they followed it by the most lopsided sweep in NBA playoffs history, with a 122-point victory over four games against the Heat. So, everyone expected them to at least be the Conference finalists, if not the last team standing. Franchise owner Dan Gilbert was so confident in his squad that he invested $500,000 to install fake snow machines in the Rocket Arena. The idea was to celebrate in style every time the Cavs won a playoff game.

However, a report by The Athletic revealed that those machines were used only once in the playoffs, before the Cavs were sent packing by the Pacers in five games. Things clearly didn’t go the way Gilbert expected. Despite the heartbreaking outcome, the owner has not lost hope. In a statement following the playoffs exit, he said, “@cavs fans, I know it’s heartbreaking. But the good news is, we have a talented young core that will learn from this and continue to get better.”

Maybe, the $500,000 investment will come to good use next season when the Cavs return with the same core, hoping to accomplish what they could not this year. Even Mitchell is looking to turn this disappointment into motivation for next season, “Y’all gonna write us the f— off man. But we’ll be back.” Do you believe the Cavs’ current roster can win the championship when healthy?

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