Cleveland Cavaliers superstar Donovan Mitchell could have been teammates with LeBron James today, but the NBA icon chose to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency. James’ decision was a big blow to the Cavaliers, and Mitchell was asked on In Motion With Ashley Nicole Moss whether they believed there was a real possibility of him coming to Cleveland.

“Yeah, it is something that was definitely on the brain,” Mitchell said. “You’d be naive to think that that’s not a possibility. But I like to live in the real, not the what-ifs or the possibilities.”

Moss wondered whether Mitchell had texted James about coming to Cleveland, and he did recruit him.

“It’s just more like ‘Hey, we’d love to do this,’” Mitchell said. “But at the end of the day, I’m not going to blow somebody’s phone up. It’s his decision to make. He’s earned that right. He’s done this for 20-some years. He’s won here. He’s won in L.A. He’s won everywhere he’s went. So at the end of the day, if he was here, we welcome him. If he’s not, he’s not.

“So, now it’s like he’s the enemy,” Mitchell continued. “But you understand what Cleveland fans and what the media is going to be because he’s LeBron James. So ultimately for me, my summer didn’t change. I was like, I’m just going to focus on doing what I got to do, and if it’s real, then it happens, and it happens. But I don’t like to live in the maybes or the what-ifs. ‘Cause then you start going all over.”

The Cavaliers, 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, and Minnesota Timberwolves were the five teams in the running for James. The 41-year-old’s two former teams were seen as the most likely destinations.

James had spent 11 seasons with the Cavaliers, his hometown team, and four with the Heat. The 22-time All-Star won two titles in Miami and one in Cleveland. The chance to win another at home was Mitchell’s public pitch to James.

“I mean, it’s home. We’ve done it once; let’s do it again. Simple as that,” Mitchell said. “I don’t think I’ll cry [when he retires], but it would be great to be a part of that if it’s his last year.”

Well, Mitchell won’t be part of that final year. James, who averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2025-26, shocked the basketball world by signing with the 76ers. Not many predicted that, and Mitchell didn’t think he was going there either.

“I didn’t think it was Philly,” Mitchell said. “I did think it was either us or Golden State, but hey, it happens.”

James signed a two-year, $8 million deal with the 76ers with a player option for the second year. They had reportedly only become an option after they acquired Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics.

The Cavaliers’ failure to acquire Brown ended up being one of three reasons James turned them down. The other two were that family was not a factor and that they had traded away Darius Garland, a fellow Klutch Sports Group client.

James did have a secret meeting with the Cavaliers’ front office, so he was definitely considering going back home. It just wasn’t to be, though.

Mitchell isn’t dwelling on James rejecting the Cavaliers. This decision aside, the seven-time All-Star had a fabulous offseason, too. Mitchell and the Cavaliers agreed on a massive four-year, $273 million extension in July. Then on Aug. 1, the 30-year-old married Grammy Award-winning singer Coco Jones.

So Mitchell, who put up 27.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in 2025-26, had plenty of reasons to smile. Now, while he has a wedding ring, he doesn’t have a championship ring.

The New York Knicks swept Mitchell and the Cavaliers in the 2026 Eastern Conference Finals. The manner of that series loss has led to them not being seen as serious title contenders in 2026-27. James’ arrival would have changed that, and you can’t help but feel what might have been.