Donovan Mitchell is a now a very rich man.
Utah Jazzman and former Louisville basketball star Donovan Mitchell just got paid.
The 2020 All-Star, who just finished his third season with the Jazz, agreed to a five-year, $195 million designated Rookie Max Extension, as first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnorowski.
So, uh, you could say this is kind of a big deal.
After averaging 24.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in 2019-20, Mitchell became the first player this offseason to earn the rookie max.
Over the last few years, a handful of players receive the NBA rookie max deal- which is a set maximum amount (after bonuses) over a four-year extension. However, Mitchell joins a limited group of players with his designated rookie max extension.
In the 2018 and 2019 seasons, there were only two players each year to receive a designated rookie max. This effectively tacks on five more years to a player’s contract.
Now in 2020, Mitchell is joined (so far) by the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum as the only two players to receive the designated rookie max.
This is a huge deal for Mitchell and the Jazz because he is locked in in Utah, more than likely, for the first 8 years of his career. His $39 million per year average next season will exceed what Lebron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Russell Westbrook made in 2019-20.
Here’s a quick breakdown of how Mitchell’s contract will play out over the next five seasons.
Big things are on the horizon for Donovan Mitchell and the Jazz.
