Donovan Mitchell Responds to LeBron James Possibly Joining Cavaliers
In Game 4, the Cleveland Cavaliers were attempting to avoid elimination from the NBA Playoffs by a sweep. Unfortunately, their fans had to watch a painful elimination from the Eastern Conference Finals, 4-0.
The New York Knicks blew the Cavs out 130-93 in the final game, showing their continued dominance in the 2026 NBA Playoffs and earning their first trip to the NBA Finals since 1999. While New York City celebrated with excitement, Cleveland experienced a letdown after winning their first two series in seven games.
Donovan Mitchell gave his all on the court for his team in the loss. The All-Star guard finished with 31 points, four rebounds, an assist, and a steal, but it simply wasn’t enough to help his team prevent the Knicks’ steamroller that ran over them in four games.
The most any other Cavs player contributed was 15 points, with James Harden giving 12 points in the loss. With that, Mitchell shared his honest thoughts on the loss, along with an apology to the city he represents.
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The Cavaliers star also received a question about the potential pursuit of LeBron James. Speculation has swirled that Cleveland might be a landing spot for King James as he approaches the end of his career.
While “Spida” chuckled a bit after hearing the question, he also didn’t allow it to become a sound bite from him about the possibility of the NBA legend returning home.
“That is not for me. I’m not gonna answer that. It’s a Koby Altman and Mike Gansey question. Cause no matter what I say, it’s going to be a thing,” Mitchell replied.
LeBron spent his first five seasons in Cleveland, joining the team as the No. 1 pick in 2006 and leading them to an NBA Finals appearance in his fourth season.
While that was a sweep at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs, James returned to Cleveland after spending four seasons with the Miami Heat, where he captured multiple championships. Along with stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, the Cavaliers captured their first NBA Championship in 2016.
There is now talk of LeBron closing out his legacy with a final season or two in Cleveland, but that decision is coming this summer. If he chooses to return to the NBA, he can rejoin the Los Angeles Lakers or pursue a championship with another team.
If the Cavaliers were able to land him alongside Mitchell and Harden, it would set up nicely for a potential run towards another NBA Finals, but they may need more, given LeBron’s age and how well teams like the New York Knicks are playing.
Plenty of questions will loom over Cleveland this offseason, but as Mitchell said, it’s not up to him to decide, even if he might prefer having another former NBA MVP as his teammate.
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This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 7:12 AM.