Latest Donovan Mitchell rumors are a win for Pacers from all angles

As the Indiana Pacers look to push forward with their current core, the rest of the NBA is constantly getting swept up with trade rumors, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are the latest victim.

The Cavaliers just traded for Mitchell last summer, and the star guard has two years left on his contract, as well as a player option on top of that. However, talks, or lack thereof, regarding a contract extension are already surfacing.

Latest Donovan Mitchell rumors are a win for Indiana Pacers from all angles

According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Donovan Mitchell likely won’t sign a contract extension with the Cavaliers this summer, but he also noted that this isn’t a huge deal.

"“I do not expect him to sign an extension with the Cavs this summer,” Windhorst said on NBA Today. “Nor do I expect that to cause a major alarm.”"

In reality, Mitchell has plenty of time to sign a contract extension with the Cavaliers, but rumblings of his interest in the New York Knicks continue to persist over a year after he was initially interested while still with the Utah Jazz.

From the perspective of the Pacers, these rumblings are nothing but positive. No matter the outcome, it’s a win for Indiana.

The most likely outcome is that Mitchell just re-signs with the Cavaliers a couple of summers from now, and nothing changes in the Central Division. However, the talk of Mitchell potentially wanting to leave will still be ringing.

Mitchell would still be in the same division as the Pacers, but with the rumblings, the Cavaliers will never be able to escape the outside noise, even if they are able to tune it out.

That said, if these rumblings become a reality, Mitchell could end up out of the Pacers’ division, which would be a win, as the All-Star guard is an absolute force.

If he ends up getting traded to the Knicks, Indiana could even get in on the deal as a potential third team, adding valuable assets in the process, especially if New York needs to ship out guards that Cleveland doesn’t want.

And on the crazy end of the spectrum, if Mitchell ends up wanting out of Cleveland but New York doesn’t make a good enough offer, a tandem of Tyrese Haliburton and Mitchell sounds menacing.

No matter which way you spin it, the fact that there is even a whiff of Mitchell potentially wanting to leave the central division is a win for the Pacers.