Donovan Mitchell diary: ‘This team is going to be special’ with James Harden

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star Donovan Mitchell has an thought what’s on the thoughts of NBA followers and media when it comes to the brand new union between him and his future Hall of Fame teammate James Harden.

“It’s the question everybody asks: How are we going to coexist? What are we going to do?” Mitchell advised Andscape on Saturday on the Intuit Dome earlier than the NBA 3-point competitors. “I’ve by no means performed with a man like James Harden. I by no means had a man like that on my team. And we’re not right here to work out like who’s larger, higher or no matter. How are we going to win? And I believe having that relationship helps. But it additionally speaks to the kind of folks that he and I are. We’re attempting to determine what’s proper.

“For him to go out there and say he’s trying to help me, that’s huge. That’s huge for everything. That speaks to where he’s at. For us to coexist, just to be able to communicate and have that open dialog — ‘Hey, this is what I see. This is where I can help build off you.’ — we are great up here mentally, but also with that relationship we’re just trying to win the game. I don’t care how it happens. Let’s try to win the game. Winning is the end all, right? I’m not worried about how we’ll fit and how we’ll coexist because we have the same goal in mind, and it doesn’t matter how we get there. We just want to get there.”

During the 2025-26 NBA season, Mitchell is solely sharing perception into his life on and off the courtroom with the Cavaliers in his month-to-month diary on Andscape. Draymond Green, Vince Carter, Trae Young, CJ McCollum, Fred VanVleet, De’Aaron Fox, Cade Cunningham, James Wiseman, Josh Jackson, Bradley Beal and, most lately, Orlando Magic ahead Paolo Banchero, have participated in earlier Andscape diaries.

Mitchell entered this season averaging 24.7 factors, 4.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 539 regular-season video games for the Cavaliers and the Utah Jazz throughout eight seasons. The former University of Louisville star is additionally a two-time All-NBA choice and winner of the 2018 NBA Slam Dunk contest. The 2025 All-NBA first-team choice led the Cavs to an Eastern Conference-best 64-18 document after beginning final season 15-0, however their title hopes have been dashed with a crushing loss within the second spherical of the playoffs to the Indiana Pacers.

Mitchell entered the 2026 All-Star break averaging a career-high 29 factors to go with 5.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds per sport this season. The Cavaliers are also fourth within the Eastern Conference standings with a 34-21 document, with 5 consecutive wins and 9 of their previous 10 video games. Cleveland is additionally 3-0 since buying 11-time NBA All-Star James Harden in a Feb. 3 commerce from the Los Angeles Clippers for guard Darius Garland and a 2026 second-round choose. The Cavaliers additionally lately acquired veteran guards Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis from the Sacramento Kings.

It’s been a busy two weeks for Mitchell with the Harden commerce, watching his fiancée Coco Jones performing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and Bad Bunny’s halftime present efficiency on the Super Bowl in Santa Clara, Calif., on Feb. 12. He additionally noticed his mentor and future Hall of Famer Chris Paul retire abruptly on Feb. 13, then competed within the 3-point competitors on Feb. 14. Mitchell scored six factors for the older veteran Team USA Stripes in a 47-21 blowout loss to Team USA Stars within the NBA All-Star Championship Game at Intuit Dome. Next up for the 29-year-old is taking a pair days off with Jones in his New York City-area residence earlier than returning to motion later this week with the Cavaliers.

The following is Mitchell’s fifth diary this season:

All-Star Weekend means the world to me. You by no means lose the childhood dream of being right here. You by no means lose it regardless of how drained you’re. We had the West Coast swing, went again to Cleveland, flew proper again to L.A. I might simply sit right here and be like, ‘I ain’t gonna do that. This is no matter.’ But on the finish of the day, this is a blessing. This is a privilege to be right here. And you all the time maintain that since you by no means let that go and by no means lose the childhood dream of being right here.

I just like the [USA versus World] format. I actually didn’t journey on the format. I didn’t love final 12 months’s, I’ll say that. But even when it’s East-West, I simply assume the extent of competitors was nice. That’s type of the place it begins, however I’m glad we’re all going on the market competing and hopefully we proceed to do that every 12 months.

Being on the OG team was loopy. But you perceive that, hey, you’re getting older. The league is getting youthful, too. So, you bought to perceive that. But we undoubtedly performed just like the OGs that final sport. So, I suppose it was becoming. It’s simply nice to be thought-about a kind of guys at that stage. And now the largest factor is you possibly can proceed to maintain on to it because the older guys cross that torch down to us and preserve doing our factor.

I performed all proper. I want I performed extra. I might’ve performed extra. But it is what it is. When you will have so many guys, it’s simply onerous to determine issues out. But yeah, on the finish of the day, I wasn’t voted a starter. So, the starters play extra. You get in. You play. You get locked in and have a superb time, which I did. And prepare for the second a part of the season.

You simply enable your self to relaxation. I am going residence. I chill. Me and my fiancée will watch TV, get some remedy, get some work in two days, after which get proper again to it. It’s identical to slightly reset. I really like that place. And for me, simply be ready to go there and type of reset your mind. … I work out of my fitness center. I see my household and buddies, and you then get proper again to enterprise as common.

I did steal a [tree] prop from [Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LXI halftime performance]. I took one residence. So, that’s type of exterior of it being about Courtney [Coco Jones] that entire evening, the entire day, that was most likely one in all my prouder moments having the ability to steal a part of the halftime present.

As we have been leaving on a golf cart, I noticed the dancers within the bushes. And they have been throwing [the tree costumes] away, some have been preserving them. I watched this occur and I used to be like, ‘You know what? I’m going to take one residence.’ I went up there, I mentioned, ‘Hey, can I grab one?’ They gave me one. I took it and sped off within the golf cart. It’s historic. That’s how I take a look at it. So, I noticed one go on the web for [$10,000] on eBay. As it ages, it most likely can go for [$50,000-$60,000]. So that’s the beginning bid… [Jones’ Super Bowl] costume, we’re going to body later. Her costume, the Whitney Houston impressed costume after which the faux tree. So, this is all I need.

Not having the ability to see her for a few of days, weeks and understanding that this is a part of the [Super Bowl] course of. This is a part of the sacrifice you make, to watch her repeatedly be so meticulous about each little element, and nonetheless not be glad as a result of the greats by no means are. Even once they do nice, they assume, ‘I could have done this right.’ To see all that planning go into impact and having the ability to do it on the largest stage, to see the emotion on her face with the music and what the second meant, for me that’s the best half. You perceive and also you see the success she has.

You’re with somebody who understands you, who sees you. Not to say if she wasn’t who she was it will be completely different. I don’t assume that’s it. But it is undoubtedly an attraction of understanding there’s some days the place I’m going by way of it, I’m exhausted and I don’t actually have a lot to give. And it flips, vice versa. To be ready to see the ultimate moments of what these exhaustion days are, that’s what finally makes it particular. That’s what brings us nearer as a result of we communicate the identical language — in a different way, however the identical language. I believe that’s one thing that you simply maintain close to and expensive to one another. And in these moments, I believe it’s what’s particular.

I stayed clearly for [Jones’] efficiency. Then we watched the primary half and watched the halftime efficiency and that was spectacular. Then we received out of there and I had to go play Denver the subsequent evening.

[Cavaliers general manager] Kobe [Altman] clearly referred to as me. I used to be at our home right here in L.A. and getting a therapeutic massage, getting remedy, really. And it was like I noticed the report, clearly, the day earlier than. And then for it to occur a day later was like, ‘OK, this is real.’

I referred to as James [Harden] instantly. I do know him. I used to be excited to get it going. And he relayed the identical message. And after that, that was it. It was like proper again to it. I perceive that this team is going to be one thing particular with him proper now. We’re 3-0 to this point, so we’re not doing too unhealthy. But I’m excited to see what we do after we get some practices beneath our belt, and we’ll see what that appears like going ahead.

When you will have a relationship with somebody early in your profession, it offers a basis. You’re not reestablishing all the pieces midway by way of a season. And that’s one thing that actually helps [with Harden]. Then, while you get to the basketball, when you will have two excessive IQ guys, you work it out. ‘This is where I can be. This is where he can be.’ And it’s a testomony to him and a credit score to him to be ready to are available in and make that work.

But for [Harden] and I, the primary few years we performed towards one another within the playoffs. For him and myself, going to these journeys abroad with Adidas — to China, to Paris, to Spain — me being at his ‘H-Town Weekends’ [in Houston] with him and clearly Chris Paul, too. So, now to be ready to have that after which go from that to being the place we at the moment are and being Adidas guys, we all the time see one another, run into one another and talk. To that, to be right here, it’s fairly wild and I’m excited to see what we received going ahead.”

For us, as a team and as a collective, we’ve to perceive that this isn’t going to be straightforward. Just as a result of we made some strikes, they’re nonetheless going to be difficult. We’ve been enjoying good basketball. We’ve been discovering a rhythm these days. But on the finish of the day, this is the robust stretch.

This is the second half of the season. We received to go on the market and discover methods to execute collectively. But when you will have a man like James, you bought Dennis [Schroder] coming in, two vets, and clearly, Keon [Ellis], who’s youthful however nonetheless brings it and has a basketball wherewithal, we are able to make one thing occur with this group.

Evan [Mobley] is again. Dean [Wade] is again. Max [Strus] is coming again, hopefully quickly. We have quite a lot of high-IQ, proficient guys, however we’ve received to simply preserve constructing on what received us right here. Even earlier than the James commerce, we received to proceed to construct on who we’re. This is our basis. It’s our core. We received to preserve constructing on.

We have a Donovan Mitchell diary: ‘This team is going to be particular’ with James Harden shot right here. And simply because I say that doesn’t imply something. We’ve received to go on the market and do the work. But while you add a man like James, you will have Dennis and you’ve got what we’ve already been constructing as a bunch, you undoubtedly see a possibility right here. We have to go on the market and seize it. The alternative is proper right here in entrance of us. So, we received to go on the market and deal with enterprise. Get some good practising, get some good work in, and be prepared to go.

[Harden and I] talked slightly bit, however I’m going to begin most likely speaking to him after I get again residence. A giant reset was wanted for everyone, particularly after all of the craziness of the previous week.

This a stage of starvation that we want to have, and I’ve little question we’ve it. We’ve had it for the previous few weeks. So, it’s not simply one thing that we want to uncover. We want to proceed to do what we’ve been doing [after] the break and simply be hungry like we’ve been. Obviously, we’ve to get James, Dennis and Keon acclimated and proceed to do what we do, however proceed to be hungry, proceed to be determined. That’s the largest factor.

I wouldn’t be within the NBA if it wasn’t for Chris Paul and Paul George. Those two advised me after a exercise after I was making my choice to keep within the draft or come again [to college], they mentioned, ‘Hey, you need to be in the league. You don’t want to return to college,’ in a scenario the place I’m 19. I used to be attempting to work out what do I do. Do I want to return to college? How do I determine it out?

And this wasn’t with NIL, the place you possibly can come again. It was like, ‘If you go, you go, and that’s it.’ So, I’m freaking out. There’s no testing the waters. It’s how you decide. And for them to type of give me that steering and motivation to go make that transfer after I was scared of what I ought to do, to be sincere — as a result of I didn’t see this taking place for myself — however they noticed it. And I recognize [Paul] for that, as a result of he didn’t actually achieve something from doing that.”

To see [Chris Paul’s] profession finish the best way did, I believe it’s BS. I don’t know. I don’t see all of the reviews. I don’t know the ins and outs of all the pieces. That’s not my job. But I do know when you will have a man like that, there’s a stage that he has to be [respected], and he wasn’t given that chance, which I believe is tousled. But all that being mentioned, he’s a hell of an individual. Hell of some extent guard. Hell of a participant. He has achieved a lot for this sport. As a president of the [players’ union], he’s achieved a lot for us. I used to be going to pay my respects to CP as a result of he’s achieved a lot for me, but in addition for the sport of basketball.