Donovan Mitchell isn’t buying the easy version of James Harden’s story.
With Harden now locked in on a $97 million extension with the Cavs, Mitchell said the new backcourt pairing gives him an even clearer view of what the veteran guard brings - and why the usual criticism misses the point. In Mitchell’s eyes, Harden’s place in the NBA conversation has been shaped too much by one thing: championships.
“I truly believe the only reason he’s not talked about like LeBron and KD is because of championship conversations,” Mitchell said. “But I've known it from being around him.
“I truly believe the only reason he’s not talked about like LeBron and KD is because of championship convos.”
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 7, 2026
- Donovan Mitchell on James Harden
(Via @HoodiGarland ) pic.twitter.com/vGB3EFJNvr
But when you're his teammate, I think it brings it to a whole different level, and I said that last playoffs. Just seeing him in camp, seeing his influence on the group, seeing his conversations, seeing his passion behind his intention in trying to be the best at what he does, really put into perspective how BS a lot of narratives are.
“You really don't truly understand something until you see it. Understanding, sure, he hasn't won a championship or whatever, but he was one little inch away from being in the Finals on year.
The other year, CP [Chris Paul] gets hurt. Situational things.
So many things that play into it. I don't think it's just him.
I think you can see his level of hunger.”
Mitchell also pointed to Harden’s work habits during his first training camp with the Cavs, saying he stays late after practices and makes sure teammates stay accountable. Harden joined Cleveland after being traded from the LA Clippers ahead of last season’s trade deadline.
In Other News...
Evan Mobley Debate Just Got Uncomfortable For The Cavs
A speculative Evan Mobley-for-Matas Buzelis trade idea has surfaced in the kind of offseason chatter that always lands a little harder when it involves a cornerstone player. For Cleveland, the premise is uncomfortable because Mobley remains one of the leagues most valuable young defenders, the sort of player who changes the floor on that end even when the offense is still evolving. For Chicago, Buzelis is the more theoretical piece, a young forward whose appeal rests on the belief that his scoring upside can keep growing into something bigger.
The debate gets interesting because both sides can talk themselves into the basketball fit, even if the idea lives entirely in hypotheticals. Cleveland would be weighing whether to move off a proven defensive anchor for a higher-variance offensive swing, while the Bulls would be asking how much patience they have for Buzelis to reach his ceiling. Nothing about this points to real negotiations, but it is the kind of thought experiment that exposes just how delicate the balance is when a team starts wondering whether its best long-term answer is already in hand. [Read more 🡒]
Three Young Cavs Suddenly Have A Real Shot To Matter
Craig Porter Jr., Tyrese Proctor and reserve forward Jaylon Tyson are all at a stage where the Cavaliers can still reasonably imagine more coming from them. For a team trying to keep building around established pieces, young depth matters, and Cleveland has a few players who fit the kind of long-view conversation coaches and front offices like to have in-season. The appeal here is not just age, but the chance that each can sharpen a specific part of his game enough to stop being a developmental name and start becoming a dependable rotation option.
Proctor has already drawn some attention from Kenny Atkinson, who recently pointed to the guards physical development as part of his progress, and that only adds to the sense that his timeline is moving in the right direction. Porter and Tyson, meanwhile, are still in the category of players whose next step could come from simple but important growth, including greater shooting aggression and more consistency. None of it is finished, but for Cleveland, the possibility that a few young players might meaningfully matter by 2026-27 is the kind of internal upside that can shape a roster more than any outside rumor. [Read more 🡒]
LeBrons Latest Health Concern Changes Clevelands Biggest What-If
LeBron James latest health update has added another layer to the long-running conversation about what might have been in Cleveland. After leaving for Philadelphia for what is expected to be the final two seasons of his career, James is now dealing with chronic arthritis in his left foot and lower-back issues, according to an ESPN report. It is the kind of news that resonates far beyond his current team, because for Cavaliers fans it brings back the familiar mix of admiration and regret that has followed every twist in his late-career arc.
James reportedly monitors the problems daily as part of his training, and last season he missed about a month because of sciatica. For Philadelphia, the concern is obvious: availability always shapes everything around a player at this stage, from rhythm to lineup stability to the larger ceiling of the season. For Cleveland, it only sharpens the old question of how different things might have looked if this version of James, with all the wear and tear that comes with the miles, had been part of the present instead of another teams future. [Read more 🡒]