Donovan Mitchell Rejects Inflammatory Report About Teammates

The Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Boston Celtics in the second round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. This was to be expected, especially after Jarrett Allen missed the entire series and Donovan Mitchell suffered an injury in Game 3 of the series.

Following Wednesday night's loss in Boston that ended Cleveland's season, inflammatory reports started emerging in the media. This included tension between the front office and the head coach, conflict among players in the locker room, and potential trade rumors surrounding multiple starters.

The most provocative one came from Cavs insider Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who claimed that Donovan Mitchell "grew frustrated with some teammates' lack of maturity, focus, playoff-level readiness and a willingness to listen."

Cavs News: Donovan Mitchell Responds to Allegations of Locker Room Conflict

This understandably got a response from Mitchell on Thursday afternoon. The five-time All-Star guard took to social media to deny this report, calling it a lie, and saying that he is sick of the reporters getting these stories out.

It is impossible to know whether these reports are true, exaggerated, or completely fabricated. We don't know who the source Fedor is relying on is, or which players he is referring to.

What we know, however, is that Mitchell didn't look frustrated on or off-the-court throughout the playoffs. He looked engaged and motivated even when he missed the last two games of the series. And when he played, he was his usual self, averaging 29.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game, while easily being the best player on the team in both series.

Regardless of the exact accuracy of these reports, it doesn't bode well for the future of this group in Cleveland. The core four of Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen may not be together next season. Considering that Mitchell is entering the final season of his contract in the 2024-25 season and is consistently mentioned in trade discussions, he may be the odd man out.

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